Pressure piles on Ruto to sack IG Koome over police brutality

President William Ruto is welcomed by Inspector General (IG) of Police Japhet Koome at JKIA after jetting back into the country from a trip abroad. [PCS]

Pressure is mounting on President William Ruto to sack Inspector General (IG) of Police Japhet Koome over police brutality against peaceful protesters.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday made the message clear in the presence of the president, highlighting a key demand for justice for victims of police brutality during Generation Z protests.

"The country is at a crossroads... for a beginning, in order to bring the country to normalcy, can you, Mr President, order the Inspector General of Police, if he doesn't resign, can he remove the police from our streets?" Posed Kalonzo who also demanded that the Kenya Defence Forces be withdrawn from the streets.

He spoke at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), where President Ruto signed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill into law.

During his address, the Head of State steered clear of calls to sack Koome.

Hard pressed to act against police excesses during an X Space meeting with youths last Friday, the Head of State had promised to deal with rogue officers, apologising for killings and abductions of protesters.

Kenya Kwanza government has employed a tactic of denial of the atrocities, scaling down the death toll from the protests, with observers arguing that it has shielded officers against accountability.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority is investigating incidents of police excesses. However, such investigations have in the past gone cold.

Kalonzo's remarks come amid pressure from rights groups for action against rogue police officers for killing, injuring and abducting innocent Kenyans. They want the IG sacked and held accountable for his command role.

The opposition, Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya, has previously threatened to petition the Hague-based International Criminal Court to charge Koome and other top police officers. The Raila Odinga-led outfit made similar threats during last year's protests that claimed lives.

Kalonzo highlighted the deaths of "41" protesters during the recent anti-tax demonstrations and another "75" during the opposition's protests last year.

"They are Kenyans. They have the right to belong. In fact, they were carrying the national flag," he said of the protesters, urging Ruto to "look at our country afresh."

Raila said that the needless killings and maiming of Kenyans needed to stop.

"We should not allow this to continue happening in our country. Let us find a lasting solution to this problem," said the Azimio leader.

Kalonzo would point out his difficulty accessing the KICC for Tuesday's event due to police barricade. Indeed, the nation has looked like a warzone given the closure of major roads within the capital. 

Constant explosion of tear gas canisters as police disperse peaceful protesters have painted the picture of a country at war. Such have been the images of protests in Kenya.

Since his appointment in 2022, Koome has attracted criticism for his words and actions. The tough-talking police boss assumed office in an apparent act of desperation to get rid of former IG Hillary Mutyambai, with whom Ruto could not see eye to eye.

He was supposed to lead the President's dream of an independent police service. Similarly, Koome was to oversee an era of no abductions and extra-judicial killings. The IG and police seem captured by the Executive and extrajudicial killings and kidnappings have never ended.

It is doubtful that he was the president's favoured choice, given Ruto could not recall his name when he announced that he would appoint a new police chief. And when Koome's name came out, many Kenyans were up in arms, owing to his legacy as the Nariobi County Regional Commander. In memoranda to Parliament, several Kenyans would oppose Koome's appointment.

The IG has assumed a low profile during the recent protests, fueling speculation that he has lost favour with his bosses. His silence is mostly conspicuous given the tough-talking police chief's love for the limelight and enthusiasm for "banning" demonstrations.

His tongue has often gotten him in trouble among Kenyans. During last year's protests, Koome alleged that the opposition had colluded with morgue attendants to hire bodies and claim they were victims of police brutality.

Within the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), Koome has been at war with the commission's non-uniformed members and is accused of sabotaging the body.

In March, NPSC Chairperson Eliud Kinuthia asked Members of Parliament to initiate the process of removing Koome from office, saying the police chief undermined the commission's operations, a violation of the law.

Koome and Kinuthia have ignored calls by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to end their public spat despites threats of removal from office.