TransNzoia Governor George Natembeya.
By IP Reporter
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP) — Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has sharply criticized government officials who have publicly defended police actions against Gen Z protesters, accusing them of endorsing what he described as “state-sponsored violence” against Kenya’s youth.
Speaking Friday during a county address in Kitale, Natembeya said it was unacceptable for public officials to applaud or justify police brutality when young, peaceful demonstrators are simply exercising their constitutional rights.
“What kind of leaders clap when our children are shot at, tear-gassed, or beaten?” Natembeya asked. “You cannot silence a generation by force. These young people are not criminals — they are patriots demanding accountability.”
Natembeya’s comments come amid growing outrage over a series of deadly crackdowns on anti-government protests, largely led by youth mobilized under the Gen Z banner. The demonstrations, which began as calls for the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024, have broadened into a nationwide movement questioning systemic corruption, unemployment, and poor leadership.
At least two dozen people have been reported killed during confrontations with police over the past week, with hundreds injured. Human rights organizations, the Law Society of Kenya, and religious leaders have condemned the state’s response as excessive and unlawful.
While some Cabinet Secretaries and Members of Parliament have defended the police, saying officers were “restoring order,” Natembeya said such remarks reveal a dangerous contempt for human life.
“Public servants swore to uphold the Constitution, not to shield rogue officers. Anyone who praises this bloodshed is complicit in the killing of innocent Kenyans,” he added.
His remarks were seen as a direct rebuke to Roads and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen and Interior CS Kithure Kindiki. In separate press briefings earlier this week, Murkomen praised the police for “standing firm in the face of anarchy” and said the state must “restore order by any legal means necessary.”
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also backed the police, warning against “organized chaos disguised as youth protests.” Interior CS Kindiki, while acknowledging “isolated excesses,” defended the National Police Service, insisting officers had acted within the law.
“The police must be protected as they carry out their mandate. No country can allow lawlessness to prevail in the name of activism,” Kindiki said during a briefing at Harambee House.
But Natembeya disagreed sharply, noting that videos, witness accounts, and hospital reports clearly point to disproportionate force.
“You don’t restore order by killing unarmed youth,” he said. “We are losing the moral compass of leadership when we normalize this kind of state violence. Kenya is bleeding and some of us are cheering — that’s unacceptable.”
The governor, a former regional security boss, called for the suspension of officers involved in the shootings and demanded a full parliamentary inquiry into the government’s handling of the protests.
“Let’s be clear: we cannot claim to be a democracy while waging war on our youth,” Natembeya said. “We must listen — not shoot — when the nation’s conscience speaks.”
The vocal county chief, long rumored to harbor national political ambitions, has increasingly positioned himself as a principled voice amid deepening public distrust in state institutions.
Ends.
