Nairobi, 20 September 2025: Amnesty International Kenya wishes to respond to remarks attributed to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during the Jukwaa La Usalama forum in Homa Bay on 17th September 2025. The remarks indicated that requests for “fuel” made by police officers to the public should not be labelled as corruption. While the logistical and financial challenges facing the police are real, such statements may extend the normalization of bribery within law enforcement and further erode public trust.
Citizens pay taxes so that police officers will serve and protect them impartially. Law enforcement services must not be transactional or dependent on a citizen’s ability to pay. If police services were to rely on informal contributions from the public, over 20 million Kenyans living below the national poverty line would be denied essential protection services. This would undermine the constitutional guarantee of equal protection and fairness before the law.
This scenario risks reopening old wounds from Kenya’s history of police extortion and neglect. In the past, citizens, particularly those in informal settlements and rural areas, were often forced to pay bribes at roadblocks, during security operations, or simply to secure a police response. Such practices entrenched a culture of “kitu kidogo,” eroded public trust and left the poorest and most vulnerable communities exposed to neglect, abuse and arbitrary arrests. It would also undo fifteen years of reform efforts and accountability gains made since the 2010 Constitution.
Three public policy actions better address any financial shortfalls. Police Stations can be adequately and transparently resourced by the National Police Service and the National Assembly. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Internal Affairs Unit and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission must vigorously exercise their mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of police corruption and abuse of power. The Interior Cabinet Secretary can continue to encourage trust-based, responsive community policing, as well as call for protected whistleblowing disclosures by both citizens and officers.
The government must take immediate measures to increase operational resources for the police and not shift this burden to already struggling citizens. Neither citizens nor police officers should misinterpret the Cabinet Secretary’s remarks as an invitation to exploit the public under the guise of operational necessity. Let “Utumishi kwa wote” and not “Utumishi kwa wale wanaoweza kulipa” remain the cornerstone of effective and professional policing in Kenya.
Signed
Irũngũ Houghton
Amnesty International Section Director
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