Murkomen warns of armed ex-officers forming political militias
By Kiprono Keileb, July 31, 2025Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has sounded a sharp warning against what he stated as the dangerous emergence of politically linked armed groups that he said are led by former security officers.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Murkomen expressed concern over a group he said was calling itself Forces Fighting Police Brutality (FBI), noting that its members have been seen online bearing firearms and wearing jungle fatigues, behaviour he said amounts to intimidation of the public and a threat to national security.
“There are some characters whom I saw online calling themselves Forces Fighting Police Brutality (FBI), and yet they were carrying guns and dressing in jungle attire, trying to intimidate the people of Kenya,” he said.
He warned that any retired police or military officers involved in such activities would be placed under tight surveillance, noting that their advanced combat training poses an elevated threat if misused.
“I want to tell all police officers who are out of service and all military officers who are out of service that they have a greater responsibility in our civilian setup, and we will put them under very strict surveillance,” Murkomen added.
According to the CS, some of the individuals in question are suspected of attempting to form a military wing for political mobilisation, a move he described as a subversive threat to the country’s stability.
“These are persons who are highly trained by the Government of Kenya on the use of arms, and once they start threatening the public and the government, we consider that subversive activity,” he declared.
“I’m glad the DCI has investigated and charged some of them. We know they are establishing a military wing of political activities. We will not allow that,” he said emphatically.
The CS further issued a stern caution to both serving and former officers engaging in political schemes while in uniform or shortly after leaving service, warning that the government will not hesitate to take firm legal action.
“Let me be very clear: those officers who are doing politics in office or exiting office to go and carry out criminal activities must be dealt with firmly,” he concluded.
Murkomen’s remarks come at a time of heightened political sensitivity in the country, with growing concerns over the potential misuse of security expertise by former officers for partisan or disruptive purposes. The government, he said, will not tolerate any attempts to destabilise peace and order under the guise of political activism.