Rights groups slam Ruto for ordering police to shoot protesters in the legs amid deadly crackdown

President William Ruto’s order to police to shoot protesters targeting businesses in the legs has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates, who say the directive marks a significant setback to the rule of law.

Ruto made the remarks on Wednesday in Nairobi, sharply escalating his rhetoric just days after 31 people were killed during nationwide anti-government protests.

"They shouldn't kill them but they should shoot their legs so they break and they can go to hospital on their way to court," said Ruto.

In what were seen as his strongest remarks yet on the ongoing protests against corruption and police brutality, Ruto accused his political opponents of orchestrating the demonstrations, claiming that some protesters were waging a "war" on the state.

"Those who attack our police, those who attack our security men and women, those who attack our security installations, including police stations, that is a declaration of war, that is terrorism," he said.

"We are going to deal with you firmly. We cannot have a nation that is run by terror. We cannot have a nation that is governed by violence."

Haki Yetu Executive Director Peter Kiama has expressed deep concern over Ruto's statement, warning that it could result in emboldening police officers and other security agencies to act with impunity.

Police state

"It's simply a declaration of a police state, a president ruling by executive fiat and brute force; unconstitutional. It is a clear license from the highest office. It is sad that he acted un-presidential, with no remorse at all," said Kiama.

Ruto said the country would not be destroyed by a handful of impatient individuals seeking to change the government through unconstitutional means.

On Monday, Kenyans took to the streets in fresh protests to mark Saba Saba — the historic day on July 7, 1990, when citizens rose up to demand a return to multiparty democracy after years of autocratic rule under the late President Daniel arap Moi.

According to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, 31 people were killed and 107 injured during Monday’s protests, bringing the death toll over the past two months to 51.

Unicef condemned the killing of a 12-year-old girl, struck by a stray bullet while at home in Kiambu County — about nine miles from the capital — and also criticised the arrest of children during the demonstrations. “Children must be protected from harm at all times and under all circumstances,” the UN agency said.

Police killings and abductions have done little to calm public anger.

The recent death in police custody of a teacher who had reportedly criticised a senior police official on social media, followed by the close-range shooting of a protester, has refocused attention on the conduct of security forces.

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Looting and violence

At times, the protests have spiralled into looting and violence by some demonstrators, resulting in the destruction of thousands of businesses.

Public policy scholar and social justice advocate Paul Mugambi observed that Ruto appears more outraged by demands for social justice than by the widening inequality, high cost of living, or the cries of families surviving on prayers and porridge.

"Instead of listening, he's barking orders. Instead of leading, he's lashing out. It's as if peaceful protest is now a greater threat than corruption, mismanagement, and hunger. In telling police to shoot legs, he's potentially manufacturing disabilities, even as he fails to provide mobility aids, accessible schools, or disability grants," said Mugambi.

Ruto's latest comments echo an order to police from the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, two weeks ago to shoot people who approach police stations "with criminal intent".

Opposition leaders, including Ruto's former deputy and ally Rigathi Gachagua, have accused the government of unleashing "hostile" state-sponsored violence against its citizens.

On Tuesday, they called on the public to "boycott all businesses, services and institutions owned, operated or publicly linked to this regime and its enablers".

Ruto's allies have accused Gachagua of bankrolling violent protests, which he has denied.

Gachagua also dismissed Ruto's claims of a plot to overthrow the government, saying on Wednesday: "We want to remove you ... through the ballot in 2027."