Kimilili Member of Parliament (MP) Didmus Barasa has come out to absolve the police service of blame amid cases of brutality and excesses.
Speaking to a local radio station on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Barasa voiced his concerns with the men tasked with maintaining law and order, decrying how they have become the worried people.
Worried People
“Today, the most worried people are police officers. They have a constitutional duty to protect lives, but in the line of doing their work, many of them have lost their jobs, been jailed, and are facing myriad criminal cases and prosecution,” he stated.
The MP also delved into the recent shooting of unarmed civilians by the police.
“We need to reflect as a country; we need to look beyond what is happening. We can’t condemn the police on the basis of isolated cases. There is no officer who can pick up a gun and shoot a person; it’s not possible,” he said
While maintaining that the freedoms enjoyed by Kenyans under the constitution must be upheld, the MP has also challenged that such freedoms must not infringe on the rights of other Kenyans.
“Even as we condemn cases where police have to use force, we should also look at the number of Kenyans who have lost property to vandalism,” he added.
On the subject of demanding accountability from the police, Barasa maintained that while offending individual officers ought to be pursued and prosecuted, the entire force should not be castigated for the actions of a minority.
“From where I sit, individual officers who have gone to the extreme of Kenyans losing their lives should be isolated and be subjected to the rule of law. But the behaviour of condemning the entire national service and calling for their resignation and arrest on small mistakes they commit in line of duty is uncalled for,” he stated.
The MP further castigated the conduct of Kenyans while interacting with police, citing cases of physical assault against the police.
“You have seen a video where a young lady protester from my home county in Bungoma is harassing a young lady who is carrying a gun to the point she attempted to slap a police officer, and the officer cannot do anything. This must change,” he added.
