CS Interior Kipchumba Murkomen has told off leaders opposing terror charges against protesters, urging them to read the Terrorism Act. Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen X.
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has responded to complaints for the opposition, members of the public, lawyers and human rights groups on the State’s decision to charge protesters from June 25 anniversary protests and July 7 Saba Saba protests with terrorism related offenses.
Speaking during his assess of APS Bomet FC home ground in Bomet County, Murkomen challenged the team to describe the acts done during protests including the burning of key government structures, should be categorized under which account.
The complains were aimed towards the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Criminal Justice system for misusing the Terrorism Act against critics of Kenya Kwanza administration.
“if you invade a police station and burn it and steal guns, burn police lines and their houses, you burn courts , administration units, vehicles and people business, what is that crime if not terrorism?” Murkomen questioned.
According to Murkomen, any individual who forms a gang to destroy people’s businesses, finances people to carry crude weapons like machetes and pangas, aimed at attacking and destroying businesses is a terror plan, which is charged under terrorism related offenses.
“If you establish a criminal gang whose business is to invade people’s businesses. If you finance people to carry machetes, crude weapons and petrol bombs to destroy people’s property and government installations, we call it terrorism. Some people think that terrorist do not wear suit and think terrorists wako Boni, Turkana, Marsabit. They don’t know citizens in this country people are planning and financing people to chaos havoc and destroy properties,” he explained.
Murkomen firmly said that the State will charge them under Terrorism Act, urging the complainants to go and read the Terrorism and Ant-Terrorism Act, to understand if the charges were unfair.
“We will charge you with the crime. I want all the people challenging the DCI and DPP why we have charged those people under the Anti-terrorism Act, to show me if they have read the definition of terror and terrorism and then challenge us if that is not the right act,” Murkomen asserted.
Government critics are among those affected by the charges, including Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji a close ally of former DP Rigathi Gachagua, was charged with terrorism for planning and sponsoring protests in Embu County.
Embattled activist Boniface Mwangi was arrested over the weekend for facilitating terror during June 25 protests according to DCI, charges that were later dropped and shifted to possession of ammunition without a valid certificate.
Gachagua had earlier accused President William Ruto’s administration of using the Terrorism Act to intimidate opposition leaders, criticising his administration, including the new emerging political wave led by Gen Zs.
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