REPUBLIC OF KENYA

MEDIA STATEMENT BY CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND

COORDINATION OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ON MEDIA ALLEGATIONS ON
POLICE KILLINGS

Our attention has been drawn to reports

serialized

in

local

daily

newspaper

concerning alleged unlawful killings by the

Police. Our concern is the lack of objectivity,
obvious bias and palpable misrepresentation
of facts in reportage on the above matter.
The allegations are clearly unsubstantiated and
given in bad faith to undermine the efforts
made by Police and other security agencies in
managing and controlling crime in this country.
The authors of the reports appear to be
suffering from confusion and lack of proper
understanding of the difference between
lawful Police action when executing their
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mandate in the defense of life and property

and the so-called extra judicial killing that
usually attracts court action, irrespective of the
status of the offender.
There is no policy whatsoever within the
National

Police

Service

to

engage

in

extra-judicial killings. Kenya is a country that is

governed by law and the Police are no
exception.
Furthermore, figures presented in the report to
try and justify its wild allegations were grossly
wrong and not verified.
Even worse, the general tone of the report
appeared geared towards glorifying dangerous
criminal behavior, and totally ignored the lives
lost by innocent Kenyans through acts of crime.

Police officers often encounter armed criminals

as they execute their mandate, where many
officers have been killed and others grievously
harmed and maimed.
The criminals have equally killed innocent
civilians in cold blood, seriously injured and
maimed a number of others.
The use of firearms by Police officers is clearly
stipulated in law.

While we acknowledge a

small number of officers may have wrongly

used the firearms, today we have a number of
them facing prosecution and others subjected
to disciplinary action including dismissal from
the Service.
Like any other large institution, the Police may
harbour a few rogue elements as happens in

other

sizeable

institutions

including

the

media.
But a few rascals do NOT justify condemnation
of an entire institution. The National Police has
on its own taken disciplinary action against
indisciplined officers.
These are facts in the public domain. The
reports

deliberately

ignored

these

facts

possibly because the facts would have stood in

the

way

of

lies,

misrepresentation

and

innuendos.
In all cases where life has been lost, in
circumstances where a person is believed to
have committed an offence, the Police have
always opened inquest files into the cause of
death. Such inquests are only finalized after

they have been heard in a court of law and

verdict given.
These persistent media reports, obviously
aimed to taint the image of the National Police
Service, the writers even concede that the
persons alleged to have been killed by the
Police have criminal records, and more often
than not armed with dangerous weapons.
It beats logic therefore what the writers would
have wanted the Police to do in situations
where dangerous armed criminals confront
them.
The media reports also acknowledge that IPOA
had received 5,784 complaints out of which
4,454, equivalent to 77%, were found to be
baseless.

Out of the 1,330 investigated, 116 files have been

completed and are under legal review before
forwarding to DPP, 321 cases were dismissed by
IPOA, 163 closed by DPP.
In the circumstances therefore only 2% of all
reported cases have resulted in prosecution.
This essentially means that 98% of all the
complaints

filed

against

the

thoroughly

investigated

by

independent

bodies

were

Police

and

competent

found

to

be

unsubstantiated.
Clearly, this kind of record cannot warrant the
careless and reckless generalization of alleged
police killing that we have continued to see in
media reports.
The Government is aware that there is a
conspiracy by known elements determined to
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undermine the excellent work of the National

Police Service.
The mandate of the National Police Service is
the preservation of citizens against all threats,
whether terror or internal crime and also
entails

safeguarding

our

sovereignty

and

territorial integrity.
The National Police Service has served our
country patriotically since its inception.
Kenyans ought to know that the NPS is by law
truly the premium insurance of national
security, a seamless institution composed of
disciplined and well-trained men and women
who have remained prepared to answer to our
nations call.

The

increased

number

of

international

conferences that Kenya has hosted in the last

two years or so years as well as growing
tourism sector is further testimony to the good
work that our Police has done in maintaining
security of our country.
The Government has put in place a mechanism
for facilitating better coordination between the
National Police Service, the National Police
Service

Commission

(NPSC)

and

the

Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA)

to ensure that all criminal or indiscipline cases
involving the Police are dealt with accordingly.
The presence here today of the heads of the
three institutions; NPS, NPSC and IPOA is
testimony to the fact that all are seamlessly

working together in the interests of the

National Police Service.
I therefore call upon all peace loving wananchi
to continue supporting the National Police
Service and other security agencies as we work
together to protect and secure our country.
Remember security is the foundation upon
which all else is built and also assures the
enjoyment of all civil liberties as guaranteed in
our Constitution.
The National Police Service is committed
towards providing security and will remain
firm to ensure safety and security is maintained
as expected of its mandate.

MAJ-GEN. (RTD) JOSEPH NKAISSERRY, EGH, CBS

CABINET SECRETARY

4th October 2016

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