Residents of the Kerio Valley have rallied behind Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, defending his widely debated shoot-to-kill directive and insisting it was misunderstood.

Representing the Pokot-Turkana-Marakwet (POTUMA) Youth Association, chairman Kimaiya Minanyang clarified that Murkomen’s remarks were strictly in reference to instances where police officers are under immediate threat.

These, he said, include attacks on police posts or attempts to seize government firearms.

“The Constitution provides for the use of force in self-defense, including lethal force, as long as it is necessary and proportionate,” Minanyang said. “Police officers also have the right to life, which many seem to forget.”

He criticized human rights organizations, religious leaders, and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) for misrepresenting the CS’s statement, saying they had failed to acknowledge the destruction and chaos witnessed during the recent Gen Z-led protests.

“Murkomen rightly described the protests as an attempted coup. In towns like Kikuyu and Ol Kalou, demonstrators became violent, looted property, and torched public facilities including law courts and police stations,” he said.

According to Minanyang, some suspects reportedly died after being trapped in the fires they helped ignite.

He said Murkomen’s directive was consistent with the law, particularly the Sixth Schedule of the National Police Service Act, which outlines when officers may use firearms such as defending lives, safeguarding property, or acting in self-defense.

“It is misleading to accuse the CS of endorsing extrajudicial killings. His message was a legal interpretation of what police can do in life-threatening scenarios,” he explained.

The youth leaders appealed to the public to distinguish between justified police action and unlawful force, adding that Murkomen’s leadership was already making a positive impact in the conflict-prone Kerio Valley.

“His grasp of our realities is starting to pay off, and we’re hopeful that peace will be fully restored soon,” Minanyang said.