Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen/COURTESY
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued a strong condemnation of an incident in Nandi County in which police officers were reportedly involved in assault, vowing that those found responsible will face arrest, prosecution, and dismissal from service.
Speaking to the press in Mombasa, Murkomen described the conduct captured in the video as “barbaric, unacceptable, unconstitutional and illegal.”
“That is barbaric, unacceptable, unconstitutional and illegal,” Murkomen said.
“I must say that is not what we expect of our police service. The issue of police brutality is an issue that we must deal with and deal with very firmly.”
The remarks followed the circulation of a video online reportedly showing uniformed officers assaulting a civilian in Nandi County. The footage sparked public concern, with rights groups and local leaders calling for investigation and accountability.
Murkomen, who has previously defended police officers acting within the law, emphasised that government support does not extend to misconduct.
“I have professed myself in the past that we shall defend police officers who find themselves facing prosecution because of doing their work,” he said.
“But it’s not our job to defend police who engage in criminal activities. Any officer found to have engaged in that act will be arrested, charged and lose their jobs.”
He said he had already consulted Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, who deployed the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) to investigate the officers shown in the video.
Preliminary reports indicate the incident occurred on January 10. The IAU is expected to collect statements from the victim, witnesses, and officers involved.
Human rights organisations welcomed Murkomen’s remarks but urged that investigations result in concrete action. They noted that concerns over excessive force by police have persisted, particularly during public order operations and traffic enforcement.
A cross-section of leaders also called for transparency and full accountability, saying the incident had reportedly eroded public confidence in law enforcement.
Murkomen insisted that the government would not tolerate impunity and said professional policing is essential to restoring public trust.
“We cannot build a secure country if the very officers meant to protect citizens are seen to violate the law,” he said.
Officials have not disclosed how many officers are under investigation or when preliminary findings will be released.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino also condemned the incident, calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of officers involved.
In a statement issued on Friday, Owino said he was disturbed by the incident.
“I am deeply disturbed by the incident where police officers violently assaulted young men whose only ‘crime’ was playing pool. Let it be stated clearly: playing a game is not a crime,” Owino said.