Rights Watchdogs File Petition Calling For CS Murkomen’s Dismissal
A petition has been filed in the High Court to remove Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen from office.
The Katiba Institute, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), and other civil society organisations filed the petition on July 2.
They say that Murkomen is unqualified to hold public office because of his ‘shoot-to-kill orders.’
“The petition alleges that these comments constitute incitement to violence and unlawful acts and amount to unacceptable ethical conduct required of a public officer,” the organisations said in a joint statement.
“The petition asks the court to find that the CS, as a public officer, is not fit to hold public office.”
#BreakingNews@katibainstitute, KHRC, @IMLU_org, and other PRWG members sue Interior CS @kipmurkomen over deadly shoot-to-kill orders. Read the petition here: https://t.co/WVUNcKf2x7 pic.twitter.com/oeQb4Jkvob
— KHRC (@thekhrc) July 2, 2025
The petition cites a 2022 High Court decision that rejected the premise that using firearms to protect property is permissible when less appropriate options exist, such as in the instance of peaceful protests.
Another argument advanced is that Murkomen’s words constitute incitement under Article 33 of the Constitution and unethical behavior under Article 10 and Chapter VI of the Constitution.
The petition alleged that the CS promoted the unlawful use of force in his initial comments and should have known that he was referencing outmoded and unconstitutional legal principles to explain his remarks.
Finally, the lobbying organization sought to hold the CS accountable for any civilians killed or injured by police officers obeying his orders beginning June 26, 2025.
On June 26, the CS is recorded ordering police officers to shoot anyone approaching a police station or jeopardizing a police officer’s life, while guaranteeing that the government would defend them.
Following the remarks, the CS faced criticism from all sides of the political spectrum, including attorneys and activists, who described the remarks as reckless in an era when arbitrary civilian shootings by police officers are on the rise.
Murkomen justified his comments, claiming that they were taken out of context.
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He claimed that he only meant for police officers to defend themselves against threats of significant bodily harm or death, as well as to safeguard property or other civilians’ lives.
This is only the latest of the legal challenges that the CS has had to deal with since making the comments.
On June 30, a Kenyan citizen filed a petition with the Law Society of Kenya to have himself and the Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki, removed from the advocates’ roster.
The petitioner claimed that the two had violated the Kenyan Constitution, as well as the oaths of office they took to safeguard and protect human rights and constitutional values.
Rights Watchdogs File Petition Calling For CS Murkomen’s Dismissal
