Under-fire Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Friday appeared to walk back his shoot-to-kill order to the police, which was roundly condemned by lawyers, top religious leaders, and human rights activists, who warned it set a dangerous precedent.
While Mr Murkomen said his order was only geared toward allowing police to repulse violent demonstrators who charged towards police stations and armouries, the Law Society of Kenya insisted that this was not the legal path and could allow extrajudicial killings.
CS Murkomen tells police to shoot people threatening them
Meanwhile, Nairobi Catholic Archdiocese boss Archbishop Philip Anyolo and the head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, called for calm and respect for life.
At the same time, the United Nations, through its High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed deep concern over the killing and injuring of protesters in Kenya, calling for accountability and restraint.
It noted reports that some protesters had gunshot wounds and reminded Kenyan authorities that, under international human rights law, the use of lethal force by police must be strictly necessary to protect life or prevent serious injury.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of several deaths of protesters and many more injuries – of protesters and police officers – during demonstrations in Kenya on Wednesday,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.
“The rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are cornerstones of the rule of law and must be respected and upheld by all,” it added.
On Thursday, Mr Murkomen said: “We have directed the police that anyone who dares approach a police station with criminal intent, shoot them.”
Murkomen: Police officers were not given guns for decoration
On Friday, he appeared to clarify the comments.
“When you use a firearm against another person, it’s either your life is in danger, or somebody is running away who has committed a felony, or you’re in a situation where your life or the life of another civilian is in danger,” he said in Kitui.
He made the initial comments on Thursday when he visited Dagoretti Police Station, one of the three vandalised during Wednesday’s protests, where a total of 88 police vehicles were damaged, five guns stolen, and dozens of officers injured.
“What unfolded yesterday was not a protest. It was terrorism disguised as dissent, it was deliberate, it was coordinated, it was funded an it was premeditated and politically instigated,” he said.
In his June 26 address following the nationwide Gen Z protests, Mr Murkomen described the protests as an “attempted coup” orchestrated by “criminal elements” with a “clear intent to overthrow the government.”
He further praised security forces for their “heroic restraint” and denied any excessive use of force, even as Kenyans buried their loved ones who were killed during the unrest.
“If any officer is dragged to court, I will get them a lawyer. I stand with them 100 per cent. They did their job, and they did it well. Our police officers fought a coup. They were not facing protesters; they were confronting criminals with a plan to topple government symbols. They acted patriotically and have my full backing,” said Mr Murkomen.
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Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
In a statement, LSK President Faith Odhiambo condemned Mr Murkomen, warning against police excesses and what she termed an "ultra vires, illegal and unconstitutional" shoot-to-kill rhetoric.
Ms Odhiambo also warned that extrajudicial killings are unconstitutional and that officers executing such illegal orders would be held personally accountable.
“Any unjustified act of aggression… will be deemed a deliberate, premeditated crime,” the Society stated, clarifying that use of force must comply with strict provisions under Section 61 and the Sixth Schedule of the National Police Service Act.
The LSK further reminded police officers that Cabinet Secretaries lack the authority to issue operational orders to the National Police Service, pointing out that Mr Murkomen himself had previously denied such power in the National Assembly.
Ms Odhiambo called on the Inspector General to resist political pressure and uphold officers’ constitutional duties. LSK also urged young Kenyans protesting to remain within legal bounds while vowing to continue exposing human rights violations.
“At such a difficult moment in our country, we should avoid reckless and reactive talking. Let us console the bereaved as we pray for peace in our country and a new spirit of caring about life. The dignity of human life has to be paramount and respected. Any single life of a Kenyan lost is one too many and is regrettable,” Archbishop Anyolo said.
Attempting to overthrow the constitution
Archbishop Ole Sapit of the Anglican Church, on his part, said: “I am praying for the situation, especially our young people, as they fight for a better Kenya for generations to come. May the Lord deliver Kenya from all those oppressive forces who are stealing our future.”
Human rights activist Hussein Khalid warned that Mr Murkomen was “attempting to overthrow the constitution using unconstitutional means.”
“We want to tell him that he cannot suppress rights and freedoms that are enshrined in the constitution using threats and intimidation. Before the protest, we gave a notice and informed them of the routes we would be using. The purpose of the notice is for them to provide security and arrest those who are looting and destroying property. We want to tell him that we shall protest and continue to do so since it is our right,” Mr Khalid said.
Mr Murkomen is also under fire for his remarks suggesting absolute powers for the State to switch off media houses depending on the news they report.
“You have to weigh between national interests and the individual issues of the media house. The national issues at any given time will be weighed, and if it is necessary to close a media house to save a nation, of course, you will do it,” he said.
Kenya Editors Guild President Zubeidah Kananu warned against such moves, saying that the Constitution-guaranteed freedom of the media was not a favour granted by the State but a right earned by the people of Kenya through decades of struggle, sacrifice, and resilience.
“Let it be clear: silencing the media is the clearest sign of a government that fears its people. It is the action of a regime more interested in control than accountability, more invested in secrecy than transparency, and more determined to suppress. We will not allow a return to that darkness,” Ms Kananu said.
Mr Murkomen has also been accused of bias for his comments suggesting that those who protested were rallied from one part of the country, yet more than 25 counties came out onto the streets on Wednesday.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also accused by Mr Murkomen of being behind the mobilisation of the goons involved in looting and destruction of property.
Passengers attempt to jump off a bus after a teargas canister was lobbed into the vehicle during the anti-government protests in Nairobi on June 25, 2025.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
“I have not seen a single picture or video of police officers preventing the looting of shops or even shooting a looter. However, I have seen many pictures and videos of police officers beating up and shooting unarmed peaceful protesters. Let Kipchumba Murkomen not fool around,” said Mr Havi, who also questioned the claim that the protests were a “coup attempt”.
Edwin Muchiri, a Gen Z protester, accused the State of deliberately coordinating the looting spree in an effort to paint the protesters as disingenuous.
