Rights organisation Katiba Institute has moved to the High Court seeking to hold Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen personally liable for deaths and serious injuries allegedly resulting from police use of firearms.

This was following remarks he made last year in which he allegedly told officers their guns were “not toys” and directed them to shoot anyone approaching a police station or threatening the life of an officer.

In an amended petition filed before the court and dated May 19, 2026, the institute argues that Murkomen acted outside his constitutional mandate.

He allegedly directed police officers in the execution of their duties, a function the Constitution places squarely under the Inspector-General of Police, not the Cabinet Secretary for Interior.

Among the key orders being sought, Katiba Institute wants the court to declare that Murkomen’s statements violated the Constitution and endangered fundamental rights and freedoms.

The petitioners are also seeking incidental, consequential, general, and aggravated damages for all individuals who have died or suffered serious injuries as a result of police action from June 26, 2025, until the CS publicly retracts and clarifies the remarks in question.

The rights group is further asking the court to compel Murkomen to issue public retractions through newspapers, television broadcasts, and a press conference, all at his personal expense.

He should clearly explain the legal limits governing the use of force and firearms by police officers as established by the courts.

Beyond the retractions, the petition seeks a structural injunction requiring Murkomen to file a compliance report before the court within 30 days of judgment, demonstrating the steps taken to comply with any orders issued.

The institute also wants the court to declare that the CS’s remarks violated constitutional principles of leadership, integrity, and accountability, demeaned the office he holds, and breached the oath of office taken by Cabinet Secretaries.

In a further push for personal accountability, the petitioners have asked that Murkomen personally bear the costs of the proceedings despite the case having been brought in the public interest.

The amended petition is being pursued by advocate Kevin Walumbe on behalf of the petitioners.