The escalating tension between state security agencies and civil society reached a critical new peak this week, as the National Integrity Alliance (NIA) delivered a scathing indictment against Kenya’s top security brass. In a forceful statement issued on Tuesday, the alliance unequivocally called for the immediate resignation of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, and Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat. The NIA accuses these key officials of actively enabling a regime characterized by pervasive police brutality, alarming enforced disappearances, and a systematic suppression of fundamental constitutional rights.
The alliance's condemnation specifically targets the harsh crackdown on protesters during the nationwide demonstrations of June 25. The NIA slammed the three officials for their alleged failure to prevent widespread human rights violations, arguing that their actions, or inactions, have instead fostered a climate of fear and profound impunity within the security sector.
To underscore the gravity of their accusations, the NIA referenced chilling findings from the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU). In a recent report titled "Silenced but Unbowed," IMLU documented a disturbing pattern between 2023 and 2025: at least 63 individuals were killed, 63 abducted, 26 remain missing, and over 600 were injured. The vast majority of these incidents, according to the report, occurred during protests where citizens were simply calling for justice and reform. These statistics paint a stark picture of a worsening human rights situation.
The NIA pointed directly to the tragic murder of teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody and the publicized "stepping aside" of Deputy IG Lagat as stark evidence of a systemic failure in ensuring accountability within Kenya’s security agencies. They critically termed Lagat's temporary removal from office, which was later legally cleared by a court, as "lacking legal basis" and offering "no real justice or assurance of reform." This critique highlights a perceived inadequacy in the current mechanisms for internal accountability, suggesting that temporary measures do not address deeply ingrained issues.
The group further lambasted the shooting of unarmed mask vendor Boniface Kariuki as a "stark example of unchecked police violence." Kariuki's death, which occurred during a crowd dispersal operation and was widely condemned, serves as a painful symbol of the excessive force frequently deployed by police.
Adding to their list of grievances, NIA accused the police leadership of blatant disregard for court rulings that explicitly outlaw excessive force, prohibit the use of plainclothes officers and balaclavas in public operations, and stipulate that commanders should be held liable for abuses committed by their juniors. "The Inspector General’s failure to enforce the rulings signals a serious leadership and accountability crisis within the police service," the group asserted, directly challenging the leadership capabilities of the current IG.
The NIA emphasized that these violations are not mere procedural missteps; they constitute fundamental breaches of Kenya’s constitutional guarantees. These include the inviolable rights to life, dignity, expression, and peaceful assembly, as well as contraventions of the national values enshrined under Articles 10, 19, 20, 26, 33, 37, 238, 239, and 244 of the Constitution. The alliance’s detailed constitutional argument underscores the severity of the alleged breaches.
In response to the mounting abuses, the NIA called for "immediate, transparent investigations and structural reforms," stressing the urgency of addressing the current climate. "Instead of safeguarding citizens, state agencies are weaponising fear through abductions and lethal force to suppress dissent. A dangerous culture of repression now threatens Kenyans for exercising their fundamental freedoms," the NIA warned, sounding an alarm about the erosion of democratic space.
While unequivocally condemning attacks on police officers by some civilians, the NIA also issued a call to demonstrators to uphold non-violence in exercising their constitutional freedoms. However, they reserved particular criticism for Interior CS Murkomen's controversial "shoot-to-kill" remarks, accusing him of directly justifying excessive police force and, by extension, undermining the legitimacy of the youth-led protests. "By defending acts of police brutality and remaining silent on violations by the security forces, Murkomen undermines his constitutional mandate and erodes public trust," the NIA concluded, underscoring the perceived betrayal of public confidence by a senior government official.
