Murkomen warns the police.

Murkomen warns the police.

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to combating police brutality. Home Affairs Minister Kipchumba Murkomen declared that officers who violate human rights would be held accountable. So far, little has happened; one only needs to look at what happened in the case of Albert Ojwang. In Kenya, officers who violate human rights are rarely held accountable, but in the case of blogger Albert Ojwang in June 2025, concrete steps were taken. Several police officers were suspended, arrested, and charged. The trial began in January 2026, using CCTV footage and protected witnesses as evidence. It was recently paused due to missing CCTV material; the next hearing is scheduled for January 27, 2026. This demonstrates limited progress on accountability amid ongoing protests against police violence. Kipchumba Murkomen is a prominent Kenyan politician and lawyer who serves as Cabinet Secretary for Home Affairs and National Administration. In Kenya, human rights organizations and government officials have been demanding for years that officials—especially police officers—be consistently prosecuted for human rights violations, as this currently only happens in isolated cases. Security forces (police, military, intelligence services) are regularly held responsible for unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and excessive use of force, for example, during counter-terrorism operations or the suppression of protests. The 2010 constitution promises strong fundamental rights and state accountability, but systemic impunity has meant that many perpetrators in uniform never face justice. Following the large-scale protests of 2024 and 2025 against the financial laws, police and other security forces were linked to killings, shootings of demonstrators, and enforced disappearances; human rights groups are demanding that those responsible—including commanders—be held accountable. The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has investigated several deaths, but only a few cases have actually gone to court, a fact that has drawn sharp criticism from NGOs. There has been no single large-scale "purge" in which many officers were suddenly punished; rather, there has been a growing number of calls and political pledges to hold officers accountable for human rights violations. In a few isolated cases, police officers have been brought to trial for fatal violence against civilians, something that has been very rare in Kenyan history for a long time and is therefore seen as a step toward greater accountability. Murkomen said that concerns about police brutality have increased. It first emerged in Nairobi but then spread to other parts of the country, prompting closer scrutiny of police actions. The National Police Service has taken steps to address the problem through discussions with senior leadership. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2026-01-21-murkomen-cops-who-violate-human-rights-will-be-held-accountable