Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has called for a national convention to address the growing crisis of law and order in Kenya, following weeks of deadly protests, destruction of property, and accusations of police brutality.
Speaking in Bondo, Siaya County, on Sunday, June 29, 2025, Raila condemned both the unlawful destruction witnessed during the protests and the excessive use of force by police officers, warning that the nation is drifting towards dangerous levels of lawlessness.
Raila said that recent demonstrations had resulted in bloodshed, with some protestors reportedly shot by the police.
He noted that while some individuals had used the protests as a cover to commit acts of violence and destruction, the response from law enforcement had been excessive and unacceptable in a civilised society.
“We have witnessed a lot of bloodshed in our country recently. People who went out to demonstrate—some of them died, some of them were shot by police because they are criminals who came out to do deliberate destruction of property. We need to talk about these things,” he said.
Calling for a sober and national approach, Raila proposed the formation of a national convention to openly deliberate on matters of law, order, civil responsibility, and justice.
He insisted that the country must not continue spiralling into violence without meaningful dialogue to arrest the situation.
“This is a civilised society. We need a national convention to talk about such law and order things,” he stated.
Shoot to kill
In the same address, the former Prime Minister came out strongly against remarks made by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that were widely interpreted as a shoot-to-kill directive to police officers during the recent protests.
Raila condemned the statement, warning that such utterances threaten constitutional freedoms and could amount to criminal behaviour by state officials.
“Tumeona umwagikaji wa damu nyingi sana hapa nchini. Watu waliokuwa na haki ya kuandamana, wengine wao walikufa. Anybody giving instructions to a police officer that mtu akikaribia police station piga risasi…. we should not encourage, talking a way of life, in a way that is not constitutional. somebody is committing a crime, that person should be subjected to..that person should be talken to court of law and charge him… and then sentence him,” Raila said.
Translation: “We have witnessed a lot of bloodshed in this country. People who had the right to demonstrate–some of them died. Anybody giving instructions to a police officer that ‘if someone comes near a police station, shoot them’ –we should not encourage that. It is taking a human life in a manner that is unconstitutional. If somebody is committing a crime, that person should be taken to a court of law, charged, and then sentenced.”
