Government to place ex-KDF, police personnel under strict surveillance - Murkomen

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen. (Photo: Kipchumba Murkomen/X)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Friday, August 1, 2025

CS Murkomen stressed that those who had received weapons training from the government had a higher responsibility than ordinary citizens and should not exploit their skills to endanger the public.

The government has announced that it will start placing former police officers and military personnel under strict surveillance, citing rising concerns over their alleged involvement in activities that could jeopardise public safety and national security.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said on Thursday that the arrest of former Kenya Prisons officer Jackson Kuria Kihara, known as Cop Shakur, and ex-Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer Patrick Nyambaka Osoi had exposed serious risks associated with ex-officers misusing their combat training acquired during service.

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Murkomen stressed that those who had received weapons training from the government had a higher responsibility than ordinary citizens and should not exploit their skills to endanger the public.

“There are characters I saw online calling themselves forces fighting police brutality, and yet they were carrying guns and dressed in jungle green attire trying to intimidate the people of Kenya,” said Murkomen.

He warned that the government would not hesitate to take firm action against former security officers who use their expertise for criminal or political agendas.

“I want to tell this, all police officers and military officers out of service they have a greater responsibility than a civilian and we will put them under very strict surveillance because those are persons highly trained by the government of Kenya on the use of arms and once they start threatening the public and government we consider that subversive activities and I’m glad the DCI has investigated, arrested and charged some of them and must be dealt with,” he added.

According to Murkomen, investigations have revealed that the two former officers were working to form a military wing in support of certain political interests, which he said the state will not allow.

“We know they are establishing a military wing of the political activities, we will not allow that. Let me be very clear, those officers doing politics in office or exiting office to go and carry out criminal activity must be dealt with firmly,” said the Cabinet Secretary.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is currently probing the two suspects for possible links to terrorism. Kihara was reportedly found with a red beret marked with an ‘FBI’ logo when he was arrested a day after Osoi.

Both Osoi and Kihara are believed to be associated with a movement calling itself Fighting Brutality and Impunity (FBI), which the DCI claims is preparing to “wage war” against security agencies.

Osoi was arrested on July 29 after a video circulated online showing him and two other former police officers dressed in jungle-green clothing similar to that worn by special forces. Kihara was apprehended the following day and taken to court by DCI officers who had been tracking him.

The two suspects are accused of possessing a firearm without legal authority, holding ammunition without certification, and making preparations to commit a felony. They are also under investigation over claims of aiding terrorism-related activities.

A ruling by the Kahawa Law Courts has ordered that both suspects remain in custody until August 7, 2025, as investigations continue.