Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei is on the receiving end following his controversial comments comparing Dutch police officers to their Kenyan counterparts.
The PS, on Thursday, June 19, shared a post on his social media accounts claiming that police officers in the Netherlands used more violence compared to those in Kenya.
He went on to share an article by a Dutch publication, which revealed that police officers in the Netherlands used violence 36,000 times in 2024 and fired 13 gunshots.
"For those imagining Kenyan police are the only ones struggling with the scope of the use of force. Dutch police used violence 36,000 times in 2024, fired 13 shots," Sing’Oei commented.
The article by Dutch News noted that while complaints about excessive violence had increased in the European country, the overall cases of police brutality in 2024 remained similar to the previous year.
In his post, Sing'Oei insinuated that the issue of police using force against citizens was not unique to Kenya and that it was a global issue also being faced in developed nations such as the Netherlands.
However, his comparison did not sit well with a section of Kenyans, who were quick to rebut his sentiments, with some claiming that the PS was attempting to defend police brutality witnessed among Kenyan officers, particularly during protests.
"That’s Dutch... we are Kenyans. We care about our nation and citizenry. You want to compare when it suits you! How about you compare their foreign relations globally against Kenya’s, too?" questioned an online user.
"I do not think you have any business comparing ourselves to the Dutch. Do a follow-up and address police brutality that you all keep bird boxing," said another X user.
Meanwhile, PS Korir's remarks come against the backdrop of a wave of violence across the country, coupled with police brutality following the death of teacher Albert Ojwang.
To exacerbate the matter, a police officer was recently captured openly shooting at a hawker, Boniface Mwangi, within Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD), footage that painted a worrying trend of police brutality in the country.
Despite attempts by President William Ruto's administration to address challenges facing the police service, the continued extrajudicial killings and police brutality have eroded the little trust Kenyans had in the service.
