Senator Maanzo: Shoot-to-kill undermines justice more than it stops crime
By William Muthama, June 27, 2025Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo has strongly criticised Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s recent shoot-to-kill directive, warning that such a hardline stance threatens the justice system more than it deters crime.
Speaking on Friday, June 27, 2025, during an interview on a local radio station, Maanzo expressed alarm at the blanket order issued in the aftermath of the June 25 Gen Z memorial protests.
“If all the people in 27 counties who went to the streets are criminals, then how will you prosecute them? Do you have enough magistrates? Enough systems?” Maanzo asked, questioning the practicality and legality of targeting protestors en masse.
Murkomen made the controversial statement on Thursday, June 26, during a tour of police stations that were attacked during the protests. He claimed that the directive was meant to protect law enforcement personnel and facilities from further assaults.
“Anyone who comes near a police station should be shot,” he was quoted as saying. The comment was met with jeers from the public at the scene.
But Maanzo cautioned that such directives, especially when issued during volatile periods, could have devastating consequences. “When you say shoot and kill anybody who comes near a police station… how will someone who has been robbed go to report?” he posed. “That was very careless.”
He went on to criticise a broader pattern of “careless statements” from government officials that undermine public trust.
Maanzo underscored that Kenya’s Constitution guarantees the right to life and mandates lawful, proportional use of force by police under the National Police Service Act.
“There are very good laws, from the Constitution to the Public Order Act, that already guide police response,” he said. “Instead of provoking people with force, the law requires warnings, restraint, and clear procedures.”
Maanzo’s remarks add to the growing public discourse on the limits of state power in handling civil unrest, highlighting a deepening rift between the government’s security priorities and constitutional safeguards.