Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has responded to opposition claims that the government is behind incidents of teargas use during political rallies, stating that investigations are underway to establish how the canisters ended up in civilian hands.
Speaking during a security briefing in the North Rift region, Murkomen stated that teargas canisters might have fallen into the wrong hands, noting that some incidents had been reported even in areas without police presence.
“It is possible that we have tear gas canisters in the wrong hands because, in some instances, even where police presence was not, we’ve seen teargas has been used in rallies,” he stated.
Murkomen also added that the Inspector General of Police had launched investigations to determine whether civilians had teargas canisters or whether there was any collusion involving security officers.
According to his inquiries, the CS stated that the teargas used by the civilians was the same that had never detonated when lobbed by the police to disperse crowds. Additionally, he said that there may be another person who is giving out the teargas to the people illegally.
“I can tell you for sure it is not police officers who are using those teargas, and they are not used under the command and the direction of the police officers who are in command,” he added.
Murkomen has been at the centre of the storm as the National Police Service and the opposition engage in counteraccusations over who is responsible for the chaos that has followed them at every rally.
On January 25, 2026, a violent confrontation erupted at the Witima ACK Church in Othaya, Nyeri, during a service attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and several opposition leaders. The incident began when armed individuals, some reportedly wearing hoods, stormed the church compound, firing live rounds into the air and lobbing teargas canisters directly into the sanctuary.
The chemical fumes caused a stampede among hundreds of congregants, including infants and the elderly. During the chaos, Gachagua’s personal vehicle was set ablaze, and several other cars in his motorcade were destroyed. While Gachagua and his allies have termed the event a state-sponsored assassination attempt, government officials have counter-accused the opposition of “scripting” the violence for political sympathy.
The Witima attack is part of a broader pattern of heightened political tension in 2026, where several rallies held by the United Opposition, comprising Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Eugene Wamalwa, have been met with force.
Earlier this month, a major rally in Embu was disrupted by police who used teargas to disperse crowds gathered to hear Kalonzo Musyoka, citing “security concerns” and unauthorized assembly.
A similar scene unfolded in Mombasa later that month, where a consultative forum led by the opposition was broken up by anti-riot police using water cannons and teargas, leading to several injuries and a standoff that lasted hours.
In a separate but equally chaotic incident, a rally led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Kitengela was also targeted by police. As Sifuna addressed a large gathering focused on the rising cost of living, police moved in to disperse the crowd with heavy volleys of teargas. The Senator and his supporters were forced to seek cover in nearby shops as the town center was engulfed in smoke, leading to a temporary shutdown of businesses along the Namanga Highway.
