Belgut Member of Parliament (MP) Nelson Koech has apologized for making incendiary remarks about 8 months ago about killing youthful protesters.
Koech, also the National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, called for the use of extreme force by police officers on violent protestors.
He reiterated that police officers were allowed to “shoot to kill” if they evaluate the risk at hand and find that their lives would be in danger.
In a humbling U-turn on Thursday, Koech said while speaking to one of the TV shows said that he is a man of a polished character and would not advocate for the unlawful killing of Kenyan youths, and the sentiments came “in the heat of the motion”.
“I must have been misquoted. Those who know my character know I am not that kind of person. I unequivocally want to apologise. The sanctity of life is provided for and guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bible which I believe in,” he said.
“I am totally embarrassed by that statement. It came in the heat of the moment and I should have been more careful in how I made my statement.”
During his July 2025 remarks, Koech defended President William Ruto’s order on police officers to shoot at the legs of demonstrators, adding that it should in fact be “shoot to kill” rather than “shoot to injure”.
“I want to thank President Ruto. Yesterday, the moment you said shoot but do not kill, I want to repeat it here, in fact, shoot and kill!”, said Koech
He maintained that the “shoot to kill” order is necessary, citing concerns of property damage, loss of lives, which are a result of the actions of violent protestors who are said to have hijacked the recent wave of peaceful protest demanding an end to police brutality.
President Ruto was speaking regarding the earlier planned entry into State House by protestors during the anniversary protests on June 25th last year
