Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has come under criticism after comments he made about last year’s anti-Finance Bill protests.
He questioned why media houses and the public still refer to the demonstrators as peaceful, despite the fact that some stormed Parliament.
Murkomen said that in other countries, any group that invades a parliamentary building would be labelled as terrorists.
He wondered why in Kenya, people still use the term “peaceful protesters” when talking about what happened during those protests.
According to him, the two ideas invasion and peace — cannot go together.Murkomen defended the government’s handling of the protests and said there is need for new laws to regulate demonstrations.
He added that the government is looking to introduce legislation that would help maintain public order while still allowing people to protest.
He said the goal is to create a space where people can raise their voices in a peaceful way without affecting other people’s rights or breaking the law.
His remarks, however, have not been well received. Amnesty International Kenya’s Executive Director Irungu Houghton responded by calling Murkomen’s statement ironic and worrying.
In an interview on Spice FM, Irungu said it is unfair and dangerous for a Cabinet Secretary to compare protests led by young people to terrorism.
He added that this kind of language can be used to justify harsh measures and clamp down on civil rights.
Irungu also raised concerns about the actions of security agencies in connection to recent cases of police brutality.
He questioned whether the officers who arrested teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’ were part of a task force already linked to abductions and killings.
Ojwang’ was taken by police in Homa Bay over social media posts and later died in custody at Nairobi Central Police Station. His death has sparked public anger and renewed calls to end police abuse.
The incident has also led to the stepping aside of Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat, pending investigations.
The public reaction to both Ojwang’s death and Murkomen’s remarks shows growing tension between citizens and the government over how protests and dissent are handled.
Many Kenyans believe that peaceful protests should be protected as a constitutional right and not treated as threats to national security. Critics say that linking youth-led demonstrations to terrorism risks silencing important voices and diverting attention from real issues such as police misconduct and public accountability.
