Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has criticised Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen for failing to provide concrete answers regarding Albert Ojwang’s murder during a Senate grilling.
Speaking to Vihaga residents in Nairobi shortly after the Senate session on Wednesday evening, June 11, 2025, Sifuna said that Murkomen told the Senate he did not know anything about Ojwang’s death.
The senator added that he was not surprised by Murkomen’s vague response, arguing that the Kenya Kwanza regime has long turned a blind eye to Kenyans’ cries.
“Murkomen came to the Senate and told us that he does not know anything in regard to Ojwang’s death. I was not surprised because there is nothing that this government knows,” Sifuna said.
“They neither see the wrongdoings against the people nor listen to the voices and cries of the citizens. There was no need to be there; I’d rather come listen to the people of Vihiga.”
Murkomen on his role
Sifuna’s sentiments come after Murkomen told the Senate that the Constitution does not grant him the authority to determine who is responsible for Ojwang’s death, explaining that such powers lie with the investigative agencies.
“Unfortunately, the Constitution did not give me the eyes to see who is culpable. Those eyes have been given to the investigative authorities. We will do everything to ensure there is no interference, no shielding of any individual, and no cover-up on the part of the Executive and IPOA,” he said.
However, he later clarified his role and limitations under the Constitution, stating that his responsibilities are guided strictly by Article 245(4), which bars him or any political figure from directing police investigations into specific individuals.
“Speaker, that’s far from the truth. I want to correct that impression. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have an eye to make sure that there is a policy framework where police brutality must be dealt with in the country,” Murkomen asserted.
Murkomen said that while he may not interfere in specific investigations, he remains vigilant about broader policy issues affecting the police service, including abductions and extrajudicial killings.
“That is a responsibility that not just the Cabinet Secretary, but also the National Security Council… carries out as part of its oversight on that matter,” he explained.
The CS emphasised that his powers are not absolute and that the Constitution deliberately insulates the Inspector General (IG) of Police from external interference.
