Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has invited families who lost loved ones during protests to engage directly with the government, amid growing public pressure over delayed justice and unmet promises.

Speaking during a breakfast meeting at State House with the newly crowned Kenya Premier League champions, Police FC, Murkomen said his Ministry was open to hosting the affected families for talks, regardless of the circumstances that led to the deaths. He stressed the importance of addressing the matter from a human point of view.

“In the Ministry we are ready to meet those who have lost their children as a result of these political acts,”  Murkomen. “It doesn’t matter what happened. From a human perspective, we are ready to meet their families and have a conversation with them.”

His statement came just a day after Jocinter Anyango, the mother of Kennedy Onyango who was shot and killed during the anti-Finance Bill protests on June 27, 2024, publicly accused President William Ruto of not honouring a promise he made to meet her.

Speaking during an interdenominational church service on Sunday, June 22, Jocinter said, “The President told me he would host me at State House to talk about my son’s death. I waited, but the meeting never happened.”

In response, Murkomen affirmed that both the Ministry and the President were willing to engage the families. “Our doors are open, and Your Excellency, I’m sure your door is also open, and the IG’s door is open,” he said.

However, the Interior CS cautioned activists and political players against interfering in the process. “We want to ask those political scavengers to keep off and allow those families to visit us and let us have a conversation on how best to help them move forward,” he said.

Murkomen also addressed mounting criticism over police conduct during protests, defending the National Police Service as one of the most professional in the continent despite working under intense political pressure and limited resources.

“If you listen to the conversation that is happening across the country, you would imagine there is a crisis in the National Police Service,” said Murkomen. “Let me tell you, Your Excellency, this is one of the most professional police services in the continent.”

He claimed that political leaders had failed to support the police and instead incited unrest. “You have a population and particularly political leadership that is very belligerent in terms of supporting the work of the National Police Service,” he said.

Murkomen defended police action during past protests, saying officers were often forced to act in a difficult environment. “In the course of providing law and order, one or two unfortunate incidents have happened and the law has been able to take its course,” he said.

He warned that political figures were plotting new waves of violence, claiming that some leaders were arming young people in preparation for street protests. “We have received a notice from some of the political actors… buying machetes and rungos, trying to distribute to young people to cause violence in town,” he alleged.

He urged police to act firmly against those planning chaos. “The National Police and our police officers must be ruthless in dealing with such criminals, because we want this country to be a country of law and order,” he stated.

Murkomen concluded by reiterating the government’s willingness to support bereaved families and urged them to come forward. “We are ready to meet the families of those who unfortunately suffered as a result of these political acts. We want to see how best we can help them to move forward,” he said