Senate leader of the majority party, Aaron Cheruiyot, has challenged the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to arrest police officers involved in the killing of at least six people during a protest over the subdivision of a parcel of land in Ang’ata-Barikoi in Narok County.

Speaking during a peace meeting, which was attended by Kanja and the Director of DCI, Mohamed Amin, among other security chiefs and local leaders, Cheruiyot said the deaths were unforgivable and that action must be taken without delay.

“Bwana IG, people were shot dead yesterday like animals by policemen working under your command. Is it that we have people unqualified to be police officers operating in the services as a result of the widespread corruption in the recruitment process?” Cheruiyot quipped.

Police qualifications

“In the past, police would immobilise aggressive protesters; where did this style of shooting people to kill them come from, IG? Surely, IG, you don’t want that to be your legacy. You don’t want that to be the thing that your children will remember after you have left office,” he said.

Adding: “Don’t leave this place without taking action on the officers you have been told about. “

Cheruiyot equally told DCI Amin that his work was well cut out for him and that the citizens had done the full investigations about the officers who participated in the killings.

“DCI Amin, you have no job here. Your work has already been completed by these residents. They have already investigated and told you which officers participated in the killings. They are well-known and your task is to arrest them, present them in court and let them serve life sentences for the crimes,” Cheruiyot noted.

Tensions simmer

The peace meeting had earlier experienced difficulties when the police leadership landed at the Ang’ata Boys School in a police chopper but could not disembark after the hostile residents demanded that Emurua-Dikiir MP Johanna Ng’eno be present.

Ng’eno, who later arrived at the venue, demanded accountability over the deaths, noting that the pain of the locals had been exacerbated by remarks by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that the police officers had been attacked by criminals.

During the clashes on Monday, April 28, 2025, a police officer was critically injured after an arrow was shot through his head in the confrontation with the locals.

“This is a very sad occurrence for us in the national security team. Land issues can easily be resolved peacefully—it should not lead to any loss of life,” Murkomen said after landing at the Wilson Airport from Kerio Valley.