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President William Ruto has stood by his controversial directive instructing police to shoot protesters “in the feet,” insisting he has no regrets over the order issued during last year’s anti-government demonstrations.
In an interview with Al Jazeera aired on Sunday, Ruto defended the police response to the violent protests, which left several people dead and businesses destroyed, saying officers acted within the law.
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“I don’t regret those comments at all because the law allows police to use force when lives are at risk,” Ruto said.
When pressed on whether such actions were excessive, the President replied, “That’s your opinion. The police know what they need to do.”
Ruto said his administration was forced to strike a balance between protecting the right to peaceful protest and preventing criminal activity during the unrest.
“We have had to balance between managing violent criminals and allowing demonstrations,” he told journalist James Bays.
The remarks referred to his July 9, 2024 speech in Nairobi’s Kilimani area, where he warned looters and arsonists that they would be immobilized and brought to justice.
“Anyone destroying another person’s property should be shot in the feet and taken to hospital before appearing in court,” Ruto said then, adding, “We want people to do business. Enough is enough.”
The statement came at the height of anti-government protests that saw widespread looting and destruction in towns such as Meru, Kitengela, and Kahawa Sukari. Among the hardest hit was Magunas Supermarket in Meru, which was ransacked and set ablaze.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), at least 31 people were killed in the initial phase of the demonstrations, with the death toll later climbing to 65 as protests intensified through June and July.
Ruto also dismissed claims that his government attempted to muzzle the media during the unrest, asserting that press freedom in Kenya remains intact.
“You said ‘tried’—because it never happened. The media in Kenya is independent,” he maintained.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and KNCHR, have since accused police of using excessive force and called for impartial investigations into the killings and alleged disappearances linked to the protests.
