KENYA: Murkomen Defends Brutal Crackdown, Says “Anyone Who Goes Near Police Station Should Be Shot

By Lisbeth Micheni, Kenya 

The Cabinet Secretary, ministry of Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a harsh warning to protesters following the violent scenes witnessed during the Gen Z-led demonstrations across parts of the country on Wednesday.

In a firm address during the assessment of destruction and damage of property within Kiambu and Nairobi, Murkomen said anyone attempting to attack police stations or government installations should be met with lethal force.

“Let me be very clear anyone who goes near a police station to burn it down should be shot,” he said.

“This was not a protest. It was a deliberate, funded, and coordinated attempt to bring down the government. It was terrorism, not activism.

Murkomen’s remarks came in the aftermath of the extensive destruction of public infrastructure and government facilities in several parts of the country.

Among the worst-hit areas were Dagoretti South and Kikuyu in Kiambu County, where violent groups vandalized and torched; the Dagoretti South Police Station, the Kikuyu Deputy County Commissioner’s Office, the Kikuyu National Registration Bureau offices, and the Kikuyu Law Courts.

Millions of shillings’ worth of public and private property were destroyed in the rampage, according to preliminary government estimates.

The protests, which began peacefully and were largely youth-led under the #GenZProtests movement, spiralled into chaos by late Wednesday.

In multiple towns and cities, demonstrators clashed with police, barricaded roads, looted businesses, and targeted government facilities.

Murkomen, flanked by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Deputy IG Gilbert Masengeli, and senior security officials, toured the ruins left in the wake of the protests in Nairobi’s city centre. He emphasized that law enforcement would respond with full force moving forward.

“We cannot allow criminals to exploit the pain and frustrations of young people for their selfish political agenda. The state will not be blackmailed.”

He also announced that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a probe into individuals suspected of financing and coordinating the unrest, accusing them of attempting to incite regime change through violence.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has confirmed that over ten Kenyans lost their lives in the protests, with more than 200 others injured in confrontations with police.

Murkomen’s hardline comments have drawn mixed reactions online, with many Kenyans alarmed by the call to shoot protesters, while others support a firm stance against the destruction of national institutions.

The situation remains tense across the country, with more protests being planned despite government threats. Civil society groups and religious leaders have urged both sides to exercise restraint and called for dialogue to address the underlying grievances driving the unrest.