Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot has urged Kenya’s independent institutions to wake up and take charge, especially the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), as concerns grow over political interference in how police officers do their work.
Speaking via NTV on Monday, June 2, 2025, Cheruiyot showed frustration over what he called worrying silence from agencies that are supposed to monitor police actions.
His concerns follow a rising number of reports showing that police officers are using excessive force, arresting people without cause, and even allegedly targeting ordinary citizens using surveillance tactics.
Cheruiyot pointed out that while police officers often find themselves in difficult and tense situations, this should not be a reason for them to ignore the rights protected by the Constitution.
He said that procedures and standards exist to guide officers and while these procedures are slowly improving, the pace of change is far from satisfactory. He noted that there are reasons why police act in certain ways during confrontations, but that doesn’t mean citizens should accept violations of their rights just because officers face challenges on the ground.
The senator also spoke about the difference between criminals and peaceful demonstrators, warning against painting everyone in a protest as a threat.
He said that although there might be a few bad actors in public demonstrations, this is no excuse for the mistreatment of innocent people.
He brought up the example of Rose Njeri, a young woman held in custody for her online activism, and questioned how using an app could make someone an enemy of the state. Cheruiyot wondered what kind of danger Njeri could possibly pose to national security just by expressing her views online.
He criticized independent institutions like IPOA for sitting back instead of taking the lead in addressing these issues. He said the Constitution gives these bodies the freedom to act without needing permission from the President or any other part of government.
He mentioned Article 239 and other legal provisions which show that institutions such as the Inspector General, Auditor General, and Controller of Budget are meant to operate independently once they are approved.
According to Cheruiyot, it is wrong to wait for the President to act before these offices respond to serious issues like arrests, injuries, or disappearances during protests.
If over 100 people are arrested or disappear and IPOA says nothing, then something is clearly wrong with how the system is working.
When asked if the President should be held responsible, Cheruiyot said that the Constitution doesn’t allow the President to directly control or interfere with independent offices.
He reminded the public that oversight bodies like IPOA and the National Police Service Commission exist to deal with such matters. Still, he added that the President can help by calling for a national conversation or even forming a commission of inquiry if the situation gets worse.
Cheruiyot ended by saying that the police must be held accountable if they are acting outside the law.
He stressed that Kenya has laws and institutions for dealing with rogue officers and silence from oversight bodies only makes the problem worse.
According to him, the answer lies in action, not in denial or pretending that everything is fine.
Leave feedback about this