IG Kanja condemns attacks on police stations, launches crackdown on goons

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja Kirocho has condemned a wave of coordinated attacks targeting police stations, officers and critical infrastructure across the country, terming them a threat to national security.

Kanja, in a statement issued Friday, said the incidents point to a disturbing pattern of escalating lawlessness reported in several counties.

He warned that attacks on police installations undermine public safety, describing police stations as the "bedrock of public safety, emergency response and first line of defence."

“The National Police Service unequivocally condemns these criminal acts. They are not merely unlawful—they represent a grave and direct assault on national security, public safety and community stability,” Kanja said.

“To attack a police station is to attack the very security of the public it serves,” he said.

Kanja also raised concern over what he termed as a surge in political violence, accusing leaders across the political divide of sponsoring gangs.

He said security agencies have activated intensified operations to pursue perpetrators and bring them to justice.

“We further reiterate that the alarming surge in political violence and thuggery, instigated by leaders across the political divide through the use of goons and criminal gangs, constitutes a direct threat to national security and will not be tolerated,” he warned.

“To crush these threats, the NPS, in close collaboration with the public and partner security agencies, has activated comprehensive, lawful strategies.”

The police boss thus cautioned that those involved risk facing the full force of the law.

“Failure to do so will result in the application of the full force of the law. No effort will be spared to hold perpetrators and their enablers accountable—regardless of their status or position in the society,” Kanja added.

At the same time, the IG directed police officers to strictly operate within the law, emphasising adherence to the Constitution and respect for human rights.

“I remind and order every officer to execute their mandate strictly within the law… Every action must be lawful, proportionate and professional,” he said.

According to Kanja, crime dropped by five per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, attributing the decline to intelligence-led and multi-agency operations targeting terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime, banditry and illicit drugs.

Kanja consequently assured Kenyans that the country remains secure and urged the public to cooperate with security agencies by reporting criminal activities and avoiding unlawful actions that could escalate violence.

The remarks by IG Kanja come days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen ordered him to deploy a special team of police to tame goons across the country used politically to cause unrest.

Speaking in Nandi and Trans Nzoia counties on Sunday, Murkomen said that despite the gains the police force has achieved in dealing with banditry and terrorism, politicians are now becoming the perpetrators of anarchy in some parts of the nation.

The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua’s rally was last weekend disrupted in Kikuyu after goons blocked a section of the Southern Bypass and harassed motorists.

Police officers were forced to lob teargas canisters at the political rally to disperse the crowds.

A section of leaders allied to the Kenya Kwanza coalition has also faulted the opposition outfit, claiming that Gachagua is only preparing to incite chaos in the 2027 General Election.