ODM leader Raila Odinga criticized Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen for his shoot-to-kill order following last week’s nationwide protests.

Speaking during a Sunday church service in his Bondo hometown in Siaya County, on June 29, 2025, Raila warned that such rhetoric threatens constitutional freedoms and could even lead to unlawful actions by police.

“Tumeona umwagikaji wa damu nyingi sana hapa nchini. Watu waliokuwa na haki ya kuandamana, wengine wao walikufa. Anybody giving instructions to a police officer that mtu akikaribia police station piga risasi…. we should not encourage, talking a way of life, in a way that is not constitutional. somebody is committing a crime, that person should be subjected to..that person should be talken to court of law and charge him… and then sentence him,” Raila said.

Loosely translated in part: “We have witnessed too much bloodshed in this country. People who had the right to protest lost their lives. Giving an order to a police officer like ‘if someone approaches a police station, shoot them…”

Raila stated that the Constitution guarantees the right to protest. He said this right must be defended and not answered with bullets. He called for legal action against public officials who give illegal orders or promote the use of too much force.

His remarks came after nationwide outrage over comments made by Murkomen in Kiambu County. These comments followed protests on June 25, during which police shot and killed several demonstrators.

Murkomen had said, “When someone comes to the police station and wants to take over the government’s office, the police gun and your life, shoot him.”

The comments sparked outrage among civil society groups legal professionals, and human rights advocates. They accused the CS of supporting extrajudicial killings and ignoring legal principles.

Murkomen later argued his words had been taken out of context and were grounded in legal reasoning. However, Raila rejected this defense. He emphasized that leaders must face responsibility when their words risk people’s safety.

Raila urged the government to deliver justice to victims of police violence. He also called on officials to follow the Constitution particularly during times of national crisis.