State to protect officers sued for shooting protesters in self defence – Murkomen

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen now says that the government will defend officers sued for using live ammunition during protests to defend themselves.

In a video seen by the Star, Murkomen said that they will not allow police officers to be punished for doing their jobs.

He went on to say that the state will hire lawyers for any officer who is sued for protecting their lives and government property.

“Any officer who will be sued for using a gun to defend himself, police station or parliament or court, we will not cooperate with anybody who wants to punish police officers who have done their jobs protecting themselves or their lives. We will hire lawyers for any police officer who will be sued,” Murkomen said.

The Cabinet Secretary had visited the Kikuyu law court after it was burnt down during the anti-government protests last week.

He was accompanied by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Deputy Inspector General, Administration Police, Gilbert Masengeli, among other senior officers.

Murkomen, however, warned police officer not to take advantage of his directive and start abusing their firearms because the state will protect them.

He insisted that while they do their jobs, they must always stick to the limitations of the police's standing orders.

“But don’t use this as an excuse to go around shooting people. You already know what it means in your standing orders.”

On Saturday, Murkomen clarified recent concerns surrounding the perceived issuance of a "shoot-to-kill" directive.

He said police officers operate strictly within the law when using firearms.

Speaking in Kitui, Murkomen stated that the National Police Service Act of 2011 clearly outlines the circumstances under which an officer may discharge a firearm. 

These, he said, include situations where an officer’s life is in danger, where another civilian's life is threatened, or when a felon escapes custody.

"All police officers understand how to use a firearm," he said. 

"It is clearly provided for in the law. No officer is untrained on this."

He decried what he termed as public sympathy for criminals, particularly in cases where armed individuals pose a danger to the public and law enforcement. 

He cited an incident involving the theft of firearms from Dagoretti police station, cautioning that such weapons in civilian hands pose a grave threat to families and businesses.

He maintained that officers are trained to apply force only when necessary and within the boundaries of the law.

“This is not a license for recklessness,” he asserted.