Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has dismissed a move by Reuben Kigame to have him tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking on Friday, August 1, Murkomen criticised Kigame and other petitioners behind the attempt, accusing them of siding with criminals seeking to destabilise the country.
Kigame had filed a petition in court on Thursday, July 31, seeking to initiate a private prosecution of top security officials, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
The legal action was in response to alleged extrajudicial killings and severe human rights violations committed during the anti-government protests in 2024 and 2025.
During a press briefing on Thursday, July 31, Kigame accused the security chiefs of overseeing a campaign of "crimes against humanity" that resulted in the deaths of over 100 peaceful protesters and bystanders. He further alleged that numerous other individuals were abducted and tortured by state agents, with some later found dead.
The petition, filed at the High Court, sought permission to prosecute officials if state agencies fail to take action.
Kigame also revealed his intention to escalate the matter to the ICC. He warned that if the Kenyan judiciary failed to deliver justice for the victims of the protests, he was prepared to seek international intervention to ensure those responsible face trial for their alleged crimes.
However, in his rebuttal, Murkomen criticised Kigame, a presidential hopeful for the upcoming 2027 General Election, for not highlighting what he described as anarchy meted out against police stations and administrative centres in certain areas during protests.
“Interestingly, all these people who have been speaking about us say nothing about the amount of terror by anarchists who have burnt police stations, supermarkets, courts, vehicles, and administrative units to the extent that it claims lives. They only find it interesting to mention my name and other security officers,” he noted.
“We will not allow our country to become an experimental place for anarchists to want to subvert the Constitution, mete terror on the people of Kenya, and get away with it just because some people want to scare us with the ICC. Please, scare somebody else,” Murkomen asserted.
According to Kigame, the reason for pushing for the private prosecution was the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP’s) inaction, despite being aware of the crimes.
In addition to CS Murkomen and IG Kanja, the petition also named DCI boss Mohamed Amin and National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Haji.
He argued that these officials, who are responsible for national security, bear the greatest responsibility for crimes against humanity, and as such, should be held accountable.
