Manyatta MP asks Murkomen and IG Kanja to resign immediately
In a scathing attack, Manyatta Member of Parliament (MP) Gitonga Mukunji publicly called for the resignation of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
Speaking at an event on Friday, June 20, 2025, Mukunji asserted that both the CS and the IG should step down over what he described as lies to Kenyans and on oath about Ojwang’s cause of death.
“I call upon CS Kipchumba Murkomen and IG Douglas Kanja to resign with immediate effect for misleading Kenyans on the death of Albert Ojwang,” he declared.
“We cannot have two senior officers continuing in office while our youth die in custody and the country is being lied to,” he warned. “Resignation is not an admission of guilt—it is responsibility and the right thing to do.”
This comes days after the National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, directed the CS for interior security to appear at the August House on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to answer questions on Ojwang’s death and police conduct during protests.
Mukunji’s demand follows a damning autopsy and investigation reports that directly contradicts earlier statements by the police. While the National Police Service (NPS) initially claimed Ojwang had died after hitting his head on a wall, the medical report found clear signs of torture and assault before death.
“They told the public he hit his head,” Mukunji said, “but the autopsy report tells a different story. This duality is unacceptable.”
MP Mukunji also expressed deep frustration with Murkomen for failing to hold senior officers to account. He questioned the CS’s assertion during Senate hearings that constitutional constraints prevented him from taking action against implicated police officers.
“How can the Cabinet Secretary claim the Constitution stops him from demanding accountability? If the Constitution is your barrier, how then are deaths in custody prevented?” he asked emphatically.
The Senate grilling
In Senate testimony, Murkomen insisted that he cannot demand resignations without evidence and emphasised that independent bodies like the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) should determine culpability.
On his part, Kanja maintained that Ojwang’s death followed a complaint filed by Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat over defamatory posts and that police protocols were followed.
Mukunji dismissed such defences as deflection.
“This is not about posts or protocols—this is about a young life lost under questionable circumstances and lies spun around it,” he said.
He further warned that the government risks losing public trust and even facing unrest if accountability is not promptly addressed.
“Kenyans will not accept half‑truths. If these two gentlemen refuse to own up, then they must step aside to allow impartial investigation and restore faith in the system.”
