Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has criticised President William Ruto over the rising cases of insecurity in the country.

Addressing the press on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, Kalonzo, who was accompanied by other leaders from Azimio la Umoja-Kenya Kwanza affiliate parties, argued that the president carries the biggest responsibility in ensuring that the country is secure.

While reprimanding the Head of State, Kalonzo observed that he took an oath to protect the nation, which he maintained that he had failed by remaining mum over the matter.

In his presser, Kalonzo decried the rise in abductions and killings recorded in various parts of the country for the last few months.

“It is our contention that the President of the Republic of Kenya carries the biggest responsibility for police phone spying, state-sponsored abductions, and extrajudicial killings.

“Despite overwhelming evidence, including that of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during the impeachment trial, Ruto continues to claim that he is not aware of such incidences,” Kalonzo stated.

“We want to make it clear to Ruto that it is his ill-thought-out efforts to revert Kenya to a police state that is hurting the nation. The buck stops with him,” he added.

At the same time, Kalonzo reprimanded the Kenya Kwanza administration, arguing that it risked sliding the country into a police state.

Police’s report

On Thursday, October 24, the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, raised concern over the rising murder cases in the last two months.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, Kanja revealed that police across the country had recorded 339 murder cases since August.

This, he says, is the highest compared to the period between August and October in the last two years.

“The attention of the National Police Service is drawn to the disturbing patterns of murder cases reported to the Police in the past two months. A comparative analysis of murder cases reported from August to October for the years 2022–2024 indicates a slight increase,” Kanja’s statement reads in part.

“In 2024, a total of 339 murder cases have so far been recorded, compared with 336 cases in 2023 and 341 cases in 2022, respectively,” it added.

On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya) also challenged President Ruto to issue a national address, assuring women and girls of his commitment to their safety.

FIDA called on the Head of State to declare femicide a national disaster.

“The president should officially declare femicide a national crisis and disaster, assuring the public that his administration is actively working to protect women and girls across the country. We demand that he instruct the National Police Service to release a comprehensive report on the status of femicide investigations within 14 days,” FIDA said.

The lobby group also challenged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to update the public on the whereabouts of Collins Jumaisi, who was named as the prime suspect in the Kware murders.