ODM leader Raila Odinga has called out Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over remarks that civilians attempting to breach police stations be shot.
Speaking on Sunday, June 29, he condemned the use of excessive force by police and discouraged any directives that undermine the rule of law.
Raila stated that someone breaking the law should, instead, be arrested and be charged in a court of law.
"We must also censor the police; the police should never shoot to kill; the police have no license to kill human beings. If somebody has committed a crime, arrest that person and take them before a court of law.
“Anybody giving instructions that police should shoot anyone who comes near a police station – shame on you. We should not encourage taking away life in a way that is not constitutional; if somebody has committed a crime, that person should be subjected to the law,” he said.
Read More
In a statement on Saturday, June 28, Murkomen issued more clarification on the 'shoot to kill' remarks, maintaining that they had been misinterpreted.
"I have seen debates, reactions, and expressions regarding my recent statement on the use of firearms by police officers. My statement was made contextually and consciously with clarity of mind based on the express provisions of the law.
"No leader, scholar, jurist, journalist, blogger, or opinion shaper has challenged me on the law. At my age, position, and experience, I cannot utter statements that are not supported by the Constitution and the law," he noted.
While hitting out at those he accused of spreading misinformation, Murkomen insisted that he had not issued any unlawful orders to police officers.
"I ask all those who are spreading misinformation, disinformation, and fake news to challenge me on the law. Those who are saying I issued an order to the police should show where the order is. A mere restatement of the law as it exists cannot amount to giving an order to the police.
"The police are mandated by law to operate within the constitutional framework, the statutes, and the departmental standing orders. In any case, I have no constitutional powers to give such orders; instead, I have a duty to support the police and to formulate policy recommendations to aid the application of law in the enforcement of law and order," he stated.
Murkomen further defended the conduct of police officers in the wake of violent protests, pointing out attacks on law enforcement infrastructure and personnel.
"Our police officers who are attacked by robbers, rioters, and arsonists—who have torched police stations, stolen rifles, burnt suspects alive, and burnt property worth millions of shillings, including courts—cannot be left helpless when they have been given the authority by the Constitution and the law to defend themselves, the citizens, and their property," he concluded.
-1715500363.jpeg)
