Interior CS Murkomen directs police to only use firearms for self-defence during protests

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has issued fresh directives to police officers on the use of force and firearms, particularly during public protests.

Unveiling a new policy directive, Murkomen urged law enforcement to exercise maximum restraint and to resort to firearms only as a last option.

He stressed that any use of lethal force must strictly adhere to legal standards and be proportionate to the threat posed.

Speaking on Friday in Maralal, Samburu County, during Jukwa La Usalama forum, Murkomen emphasized that force must never be used as a form of extrajudicial punishment.

Murkomen, in response to mounting complaints of police brutality resulting in deaths and serious injuries, issued the first policy directive to the Police Inspector General on the use of firearms and force by law enforcement officers.

The directive sets out clear guidelines on the lawful and proportionate use of force, aiming to ensure accountability and protect civilians from excessive action by the police.

“We make it very clear on how police officers can make it dealing with goons …IG will now cascade the same to his officers. This matter has elicited public discourse and it’s now a policy on paper that the public can now hold me to account and it’s legally binding,” he said.

In the new policy directive, CS Murkomen has directed that: a police officer may only discharge a firearm if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a person is committing or about to commit an act likely to endanger life or cause serious injury, and no other means exist to prevent the danger.

He also says that force or firearms shall only be used in self-defence or in the defence of others facing an imminent threat of death or serious injury.

Murkomen adds that force must never be used as a form of extrajudicial punishment, and that no additional force is lawful once a suspect is safely and lawfully detained.

“The Inspector General is directed to ensure that all officers under the National Police Service are aware of relevant legislation and are informed about the extent of their legal powers and the context within which those powers can be properly exercised,” he said.

The policy directive adds that, in dispersing unlawful but non-violent assemblies, officers shall avoid the use of force, and that if force is unavoidable, it must be restricted to the minimum necessary.

Even so, Murkomen maintained that police officers have the right to defend themselves against unlawful physical violence.

He said the NPS shall ensure officers are equipped with appropriate crowd control tools and protective gear suited to prevailing operational risks.

The policy directive on the use of force and firearms by police comes at a time when some leaders and state officials have sparked controversy with their remarks about law enforcement’s use of force.

CS Murkomen, who was accompanied by Interior Principal secretary Raymond Omollo and the Police IG in unveiling of the new Policy directives in Samburu, assured residents that the government is putting proper mechanism in place to address security lapses in the county.