Presidential candidate and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has condemned the rising cases of police brutality in Kenya, warning that officers who abuse their power will face legal consequences.
In an interview aired on a local TV station on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, Matiang’i stressed that police officers are not trained to harm citizens but to maintain peace and order.
“We don’t train police in Kenya to kill citizens. The theory of policing in Kenya is for the preservation of law and order. That does not mean, however, that individual police officers can go above and over the responsibilities they have. When police are trained to deal with riots and respond to the riots, they are given clear instructions and guidelines on how they are supposed to go. Those who act outside of those instructions face the consequences of the law,” Matiang’i said.
String of police brutality
His comments come amid mounting public anger following several violent incidents involving the police, the most recent being the death of 31-year-old teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang.
Ojwang died while in custody at the Central Police Station in Nairobi on June 8, 2025, just two days after his arrest in Homa Bay County for allegedly defaming Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat.
When Ojwang’s body was found, it had visible signs of torture, including a broken jaw. Although police initially claimed he had taken his own life, an independent postmortem report confirmed the injuries were consistent with physical abuse and torture. This revelation sparked protests across the country, with demonstrators demanding justice and police accountability.
In response to public pressure, two officers Samson Talam and James Mukhwana were arrested. A third suspect, a technician, was also taken into custody for allegedly tampering with CCTV footage at the police station. DIG Lagat, whose complaint led to Ojwang’s arrest, voluntarily stepped aside to allow investigations to proceed.
The public’s outrage intensified on June 17 when Boniface Kariuki, a 22-year-old street vendor, was shot in the head during a demonstration in Nairobi. Shocking footage showed the young man walking away peacefully when an officer opened fire.
These incidents add to a growing list of cases involving police violence. In June 2024, at least 19 people were killed and over 200 injured during anti-Finance Bill protests. According to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), more than 20 people have died in police custody in just the last four months.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has also raised red flags over the frequent release of false or misleading police statements in high-profile cases.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja admitted that police mishandled communication in the Ojwang case. He has pledged full cooperation with the investigations, but many Kenyans say the damage to public trust is already done.
