Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has been summoned to appear before the National Assembly next Wednesday amid mounting pressure following the death of blogger Albert Ojwang.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula issued the directive on Wednesday, June 18, during a tense parliamentary session that centred around police conduct.
Three MPs, Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara, Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji and Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo, were particularly vocal against Murkomen, whom they accused of failing to do enough to ensure accountability of top security officials.
In response to the MPs demands, Wetang'ula summoned Murkomen for a fresh grilling session in a week's time, on Wednesday, June 25.
“More importantly, I direct that the Minister for Internal Security appear before this House on Wednesday afternoon so that those with questions raised be availed to him,” Wetang’ula said.
“This is so that we can have this House lend its strong voice on matters that we disapprove of, on the conduct of officers who are supposed to protect wananchi,” the speaker asserted.
Murkomen came under fire in the House on Wednesday, with the Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo specifically pointing to events of the past week as pointers to indicate a need for radical reforms in the police service.
''I would suggest that to ask our colleague to bring better answers is to ask him for a task that is beyond him because he is relying on the very same officers who claimed Ojwang died by suicide,'' the lawmaker said.
Amollo went a step further by urging the formation of an ad hoc committee, which would in independently look into the death of the blogger and get dissolved once its mandate was fulfilled.
Wetang'ula opposed this move, saying the only way to set up a committee would be through a motion - and this would further delay the opportunity to grill the Interior CS.
Since Ojwang's death, Murkomen has come under immense pressure to restore sanity in the police force. To ensure accountability, the CS directed all police stations across the country to have CCTV cameras installed.
He also directed that all instances of assault or misconduct within stations be reported within an hour, with the CCTV systems expected to play a central role
Adding to these changes, Murkomen announced a community-focused integration plan to improve public trust and service delivery. He revealed that police operations will undergo regular independent audits to assess effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. High-performing officers and stations will be publicly recognised and rewarded.
Despite the promising reforms, the police service came under scrutiny once again on Tuesday, June 17, after a video of a police officer shooting a hawker from point-blank range during protests surfaced. While Murkomen is yet to publicly address the issue, the National Police Service has since confirmed the identity of the two officers involved in the life-threatening altercation.
Meanwhile, the case involving Ojwang's death is still shrouded in uncertainty - something which has pushed MPs to call for more urgent action.
As of Wednesday, Trial Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi ordered Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam to be detained for 15 days pending investigations. The Prosecution and IPOA team had on Monday applied to be given 21 days, citing the complexity of the exercise.
