Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has stated that the government is not concealing information regarding fatalities from the recent nationwide protests.
Speaking on Tuesday, the CS explained that the official tally of 42 deaths – reported by the Ministry of Interior and based on data from the National Police Service (NPS)—is drawn from verified law enforcement records following a physical analysis of the incidents.
“Our findings are based on National Police Service reports,” Murkomen clarified. “If the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), a national body, reports 61 deaths, we don’t dispute it. What we are saying is, our data comes from law enforcement officers.”
His comments follow a day after rights groups reported the death toll from the June 25 and July 7 demonstrations as 61, contrasting with the government’s figure of 42.
According to NPS records, 17 deaths were recorded during the June 25 protests and 25 during the Saba Saba (July 7) demonstrations. Murkomen acknowledged that discrepancies may arise due to differing criteria or cases that may not be directly linked to the protests.
“Some reported deaths might not have resulted from the protests but were included in the counts. We recognize the sensitivity of this matter,” he said.
The CS underscored that the government takes the right to life seriously, stressing that every life lost is a tragedy.
“Like the case of the little girl who died—it’s heartbreaking. No one wants to hide the numbers. We are ready to compare figures for the sake of accountability,” said Murkomen.
“There is no gain in hiding the numbers. What we want are proper investigations to establish the truth.”
