The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Edwin Sifuna has said his team formally informed police about a planned political rally in Kakamega, rejecting claims that security agencies were unaware of their activities.
The Nairobi Senator maintained that all legal procedures were followed and accused authorities of attempting to deflect responsibility after chaos disrupted a rally in Kitengela last Sunday.
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Speaking in the Senate on Thursday, Sifuna stated that he personally delivered the notification letter to the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) in Kakamega. He added that he also shared the letter in the Senate’s official WhatsApp group to ensure transparency.
In a sharp response to Kipchumba Murkomen, Sifuna noted that the Interior Cabinet Secretary, a former senator, is still a member of the Senate WhatsApp group and regularly follows discussions. He said he had sent the Kakamega rally notification directly to Murkomen and would also post it in the group to prevent claims of ignorance.
His remarks followed Murkomen’s statement in Nakuru on Wednesday, where he alleged that police had not been informed about the Kitengela rally that turned violent after officers attempted to disperse the crowd.
The Kitengela event was organised by the rival ODM faction aligned to Sifuna and attended by several leaders, including Babu Owino, James Orengo and Godfrey Osotsi.
Tension escalated during the rally when police fired teargas and live bullets to break up the gathering. Sifuna later confirmed that one person died from gunshot wounds, blaming police actions for the fatality and calling it unnecessary.
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He demanded accountability from officers involved, insisting that any cases of excessive force must be investigated and those responsible held liable. According to him, security agencies should not operate without oversight.
Sifuna was responding to a request for a statement by Samson Cherargei, who had sought updates from the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations regarding investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) into alleged extrajudicial killings and abuse of power.
Cherargei had expressed concern over rising organised criminal gangs and asked what steps were being taken to tackle insecurity.
However, Sifuna termed the inquiry hypocritical, arguing that the challenges facing IPOA are already known. He cited obstacles such as lack of cooperation from officers under investigation, failure to surrender firearms for ballistic tests, and refusal to record statements.
He also highlighted funding constraints and understaffing at IPOA, noting that the authority has only 77 investigators overseeing a police service of more than 125,000 officers.
Additionally, Sifuna claimed that parallel probes by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Internal Affairs Unit interfere with IPOA’s independence, and faulted the government for not establishing adequate witness protection mechanisms.
