at the Kikuyu Law Courts/MINA
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen now says that
the government will defend officers sued for using live ammunition during
protests to defend themselves.
In a video seen by the Star, Murkomen said that they will
not allow police officers to be punished for doing their jobs.
He went on to say that the state will hire lawyers for any
officer who is sued for protecting their lives and government property.
“Any officer who will be sued for using a gun to defend himself,
police station or parliament or court, we will not cooperate with anybody who
wants to punish police officers who have done their jobs protecting themselves or
their lives. We will hire lawyers for any police officer who will be sued,”
Murkomen said.
The Cabinet Secretary had visited the Kikuyu law court after it was burnt down during the anti-government protests last week.
He was accompanied by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo
and Deputy Inspector General, Administration Police, Gilbert Masengeli, among
other senior officers.
Murkomen, however, warned police officer not to take
advantage of his directive and start abusing their firearms because the state
will protect them.
He insisted that while they do their jobs, they must always
stick to the limitations of the police’s standing orders.
“But don’t use this as an excuse to go around shooting
people. You already know what it means in your standing orders.”
On Saturday, Murkomen clarified recent concerns surrounding
the perceived issuance of a “shoot-to-kill” directive.
He said police officers operate strictly within the law when
using firearms.
Speaking in Kitui, Murkomen stated that the National Police
Service Act of 2011 clearly outlines the circumstances under which an officer
may discharge a firearm.
These, he said, include situations where an officer’s life
is in danger, where another civilian’s life is threatened, or when a felon
escapes custody.
“All police officers understand how to use a
firearm,” he said.
“It is clearly provided for in the law. No officer is
untrained on this.”
He decried what he termed as public sympathy for criminals,
particularly in cases where armed individuals pose a danger to the public and
law enforcement.
He cited an incident involving the theft of firearms from
Dagoretti police station, cautioning that such weapons in civilian hands pose a
grave threat to families and businesses.
He maintained that officers are trained to apply force only
when necessary and within the boundaries of the law.
“This is not a license for recklessness,” he asserted.