June 25 chaos deliberate, funded, and politically driven – Murkomen

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has condemned the violence that erupted during the protests on Wednesday, June 25, describing the events as a politically motivated and coordinated attempt to overthrow the government of President William Ruto.

“What unfolded yesterday was not a protest. It was terrorism disguised as dissent. There was no peaceful demonstration, it was riots, chaos and anarchy……It was an unconstitutional attempt to change the regime of this republic. Police were able to foil an attempted coup,” said the CS.

According to Murkomen, the chaos seen across various parts of the country had nothing to do with freedom of expression or constitutional rights.

“Those who planned chaos during protests had a premeditated plan. They shared that plan, including online. The plan was to take the symbols of authority and democracy which is statehouse and parliament to show that they had achieved some sort of regime change,”

“We witnessed a well-orchestrated campaign of political violence. What happened was not spontaneous. It was not random. It was deliberate. It was coordinated. It was funded. It was premeditated. And politically instigated,” he announced at a press briefing Thursday afternoon.

Murkomen revealed that government installations and police stations were specifically targeted to undermine state authority.

“At least nine police stations were attacked, five of which were torched including in Dagoretti, Molo and Ol Kalau. 88 police vehicles were destroyed,” he noted, while it also emerged that at least ten Kenyans lost their lives and over 400 people were injured, including nearly 300 police officers.

The CS pointed out that homes and businesses belonging to leaders allied with the ruling party were also targeted during the violent rampage.

Murkomen disclosed that the government has initiated an investigation to trace and bring to justice the masterminds behind the “regime change plot.”

“The Inspector General of Police, through the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is carrying out investigations to apprehend and bring to justice the organizers and financiers of this well-orchestrated campaign of violence,” he stated.

“Rest assured that the government will pursue justice relentlessly on behalf of all affected Kenyans. No person will be spared regardless of their political or financial status,” he asserted.

The CS also defended the actions of the police during the protests, stating that no officer committed any excesses and that security agencies exercised “remarkable restraint amid extreme provocation.”

“If it were not for the police officers, we wouldn’t have this country today or even be sitting here to make these statements,” he said. “Nobody will come out in public to defend our police officers. I want to speak authoritatively – I thank our police officers for a job well done against extreme provocation.”

Before addressing the nation, Murkomen toured several areas of Nairobi to evaluate the damage and response following Wednesday’s protests. He was joined by Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja.