The United Opposition has accused the government of state-sponsored violence, alleging that the National Police Service is involved in extrajudicial killings and has formed an illegal alliance with militia groups to suppress dissent.

The catalyst for the current unrest was the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody on June 8, 2025. Initially reported as a suicide, an independent autopsy revealed that Ojwang died from physical assault, contradicting the police’s account.  

On June 17, 2025, during one such protest, Boniface Kariuki, a 22-year-old street vendor, was shot in the head by a masked police officer. The incident was captured on video and has since gone viral, intensifying public outrage. Kariuki remains in intensive care at Kenyatta National Hospital, with his father demanding accountability for the officer involved.

“We are also alarmed at the emergence of a dangerous and illegal alliance between the police and the Haiti-modelled militia gangs who we saw terrorizing unarmed protestors, business operators and civilians regardless of age and gender,” the statement posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, posted by Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka on his X official account, reads.

Kalonzo said that the police have become judge, jury and executioner in reported deaths and forceful disappearances.

“If it was not evident before, it is crystal clear that the police have become judge, jury, and executioner; a death squad in uniform. They have abdicated their constitutional mandate to protect and serve the people and are clearly under the direction of a paranoid and repressive regime,” the statement said.

The ICC prosecution

The opposition also claims that the Kenya-led Haiti Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission was not a peacekeeping mission but a “benchmarking trip” for President William Ruto to observe the use of militia to suppress the populace.

Kalonzo’s accusations extend to the alleged use of firearms supplied by President Ruto to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan, suggesting a connection between these weapons and those used in the recent protests. They also allege that police officers have been involved in looting private property, including electronics such as laptops, during the demonstrations.

“What is also now clear is the Kenya-led Haiti Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, was not a peacekeeping mission, but a benchmarking trip, by Ruto on the use of Militia to terrorize a nation on taxpayer’s money,” Kalonzo said.

“It is clear the Ruto regime has waged war against fundamental human rights with calculated vengeance. He has deployed killer rogue police squads whose tactics are similar to the Haiti militia. These death squads are using special firearms that Ruto has also illegally supplied to Sudan’s RSF militia. These acts have resulted in countless deaths both in Kenya and Sudan.”

The opposition said Ruto not only continues to contravene the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, but also all international laws and conventions, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court signed and ratified by Kenya.

Kalonzo said that the United Opposition have taken action, having been collecting evidence and that teams are currently compiling the same to hand over to the International Criminal Court (ICC ) Prosecutor for Ruto must answer for his crimes against humanity.

“The United Opposition has announced plans to collect evidence and submit it to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging the prosecutor to investigate what they describe as crimes against humanity committed by the Kenyan government. They assert that the regime’s actions contravene both the Constitution of Kenya and international laws, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” he asserted.

Kalonzo urged Kenyans to remain steadfast and unafraid, asserting that no regime can sustain itself on bullets and lies.

The United Opposition condemns State-Sponsored violence, elite cover up, and police implicated in extrajudicial killings.

"It is clear the Ruto regime has waged war against fundamental human rights with calculated vengeance. He has deployed killer rogue police squads whose… pic.twitter.com/WUc0P1VOFc

— Kalonzo Musyoka (@skmusyoka) June 18, 2025