Murkomen blames judiciary, politicians for weakening crackdown on criminal gangs
By Emmanuel Rono, April 21, 2026Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has accused the judiciary and a section of political leaders of actively undermining the government’s efforts to eliminate criminal gangs.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Security on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Murkomen stated that the presence of opposition leaders in court proceedings affects how judges handle cases involving suspects, especially those linked to organised violence and gang activity.
Murkomen pointed out a disturbing trend where politicians rely on goons and gangs to secure their positions, claiming that some leaders’ only strategy for maintaining power is the elimination or harassment of their opponents.
How leaders use goons
“Some leaders, who claim to be in leadership, are actually eliminating their opponents. Making it impossible for any opponent to come in, and they are proudly going around saying this is the deterrent measures I put in place, nobody can address a meeting in my constituency if he’s going to mention my name,” Murkomen said.
According to Murkomen, this reliance on violence has created a culture where leadership is maintained through fear rather than democratic support.
He also accused some politicians of deliberately embedding criminal elements within security structures and using them for political gain, saying this has contributed to a rise in violent incidents across the country.
“The only way they are in office is because there’s no other one, because he has beaten all the other people; he has harassed them, he sent goons,” Murkomen said.
Failure of judiciary
He argued that judges are failing to take judicial notice of the widespread suffering caused by these groups, opting instead to release individuals back into the public even after serious offences.
“You don’t need to plead before a court of law for them (judges) to appreciate that the country is suffering because of these acts of goons and gangs, yet judges are still releasing these people to the public. They don’t care about the bail terms. As long as several opposition leaders have appeared before the court is enough proof to say rights have been violated and release these people to go,” he said.