Matiang’i calls for public inquest into extrajudicial killings

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has called for a public inquest into unresolved killings and disappearances in Kenya, declaring his readiness to face questions over controversial deaths, including those of Chris Msando, Jacob Juma, Kipyegon Kenei, and the victims found in River Yala.

Matiang’i made the statement amid growing public pressure and outrage over deadly police crackdowns during nationwide anti-government protests on Wednesday, which claimed at least 16 lives.

“Let us go and explain some of these things that have happened even before 2023 so that we can now move forward together as a country when all facts and everything have been heard and resolved, and we can deal with the unresolved matters that have not been conclusively investigated,” he explained.

Whether we start with Chris Msando, we come to Jacob Juma, we come to Kipyegon Kenei, we come to River Yala and everything else. Let these things be investigated by an open public inquest,” Matiang’i added.

The former minister urged the state to allow full disclosure and accountability for all the unresolved killings that have stained Kenya’s recent political history.

He insisted that addressing these cases publicly was the only way to end the cycle of speculation, fear and blame.

“So I ask my colleagues that now let us be true to the course that we are following. Let these things be dealt with publicly, and I pray. We should never have a recurrence of this, so we should spend the time now asking the question, how are we going to stop another recurrence of this?” the former Interior CS added.

Matiang’i’s remarks came just hours after Amnesty International and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights confirmed that 16 people were killed during Wednesday’s demonstrations, most of them shot by police.

“Most were killed by police,” Amnesty Kenya’s executive director, Houghton Irungu, said, adding that five of the victims had gunshot wounds.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights earlier reported eight deaths across the country, all from alleged gunshot injuries.

According to KNCHR, more than 400 people were injured in the protests, including demonstrators, journalists and police officers.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has since linked the protests to what he described as an attempted coup. Speaking after touring affected areas in Nairobi, Murkomen claimed the demonstrations were aimed at seizing key state institutions to trigger regime change.

“The plan was to take symbols of authority and democracy — which are Parliament and State House — to show that they had achieved some sort of regime change,” Murkomen said.

He praised the police for stopping what he described as an unconstitutional attempt to overthrow the government. “This was not a protest or freedom of expression, but an unconstitutional attempt to change the regime of the Republic of Kenya,” the CS added.

The government is yet to respond to Matiang’i’s call for a public inquest, but civil society groups and human rights defenders continue to demand justice and accountability for victims of both recent and past killings.

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