Lawyer Willis Otieno has launched a scathing attack on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, accusing him of undermining the Constitution and betraying the legal profession.

In a strongly worded statement posted on his X account, Otieno expressed outrage over Murkomen’s role in government, criticising his handling of constitutional matters and the judiciary. He questioned how someone with a background in law could become, in his words, a threat to judicial independence.

“Imagine spending years mastering jurisprudence only to wake up and find that Kipchumba Murkomen, the loudest threat to judicial independence, is part of your professional lineage. It’s like training to be a surgeon, then realising your mentor now sells poisoned herbs in the market square,’’ Willis said.

Otieno also dismissed Murkomen’s past as a law lecturer, claiming that any student taught by him deserves professional rehabilitation. He suggested that Murkomen no longer upholds the values expected of an advocate, describing his continued presence in the legal field as a national tragedy.

The remarks come amid growing concerns over recent directives issued by Murkomen, which some have said encroach on civil liberties and weaken the rule of law.

“Frankly, any law student taught by Murkomen should be offered counselling and a full academic detox. The man treats the Constitution like a nuisance and the courts like a stumbling block to tyranny. Murkomen doesn’t lecture. He infects. And it’s a national tragedy that his title still begins with ‘Advocate,” Willis added.

Imagine spending years mastering jurisprudence only to wake up and find that Kipchumba Murkomen ; the loudest threat to judicial independence is part of your professional lineage. It’s like training to be a surgeon then realizing your mentor now sells poisoned herbs in the market…

— Willis Evans Otieno (@otienowill) June 28, 2025

Murkomen’s order

This scathing attack from Willis comes days after Murkomen’s shot-to-kill directive, something that has sparked outrage from Kenyans, who are terming his directive as unlawful.

Speaking when he toured some of the police stations to assess the aftermath of the Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Gen Z memorial protests, Murkomen told the locals that he had ordered the police officers to shoot anyone who would invade a police station with ill intentions.

“Ile shida inafanya saa zingine polisi wapige wakora risasi ni kwa sababu wanashikwa, wanaenda alafu wanarudi kuchekelea polisi wakisema sasa tulifika wapi, hakuna kwenye tulienda. Na tumeambia polisi, mtu yeyote ambaye atakaribia police station, piga yeye risasi,” Murkomen said.

Loosely translated as: “The problem that sometimes makes the police shoot criminals is that they get arrested, are released, then come back to mock the police, asking, ‘So, where did you take us? Nowhere.’ And we’ve told the police, —Anyone who comes near a police station, shoot them.”

However, Murkomen’s remarks were not received well by his supposed audience, who jeered and told him off.

His remarks came after revealing that goons targeted police stations during protests commemorating victims of the June 2024 anti-government demonstrations that led to the loss of 60 people.

According to Murkomen, the goons targeted armouries and police uniforms at various police stations in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi on June 26, 2025, Murkomen revealed that five firearms were stolen from the Dagoretti Police post in Kiambu County.

“The criminals were after guns in the armouries and police uniforms. Five firearms were stolen from Dagoretti Police Post, Kiambu County, while four were burnt at Gachui Police Post,” he lamented.