Former Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando has criticised President William Ruto’s administration, terming it “irredeemably corrupt and irresponsible”, and accusing it of presiding over a government marked by impunity, police brutality, and political decay.

Speaking on Spice FM on Friday, June 20, Kabando drew parallels between recent state actions and the oppressive tactics of colonial rule.

He condemned ongoing extrajudicial killings and abductions allegedly carried out by security agencies, warning that Kenya is veering dangerously off course.

“It is absurd that the Head of State publicly declares there will be no extrajudicial killings or abductions, yet hours or days later, it happens again with no accountability,” he said.

“Political responsibility in Kenya today is the most urgent action needed because people cannot wait until they are all exterminated.” 

His remarks follow the shooting of 22-year-old Boniface Kariuki, a mask vendor, during Tuesday protests, demanding justice for slain teacher Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody.

For Kabando, this incident marks an alarming escalation in state violence.

“While past regimes jailed people and still left them alive, this one has gone further carrying out extrajudicial killings and abductions in broad daylight, even in front of cameras,” he said, adding; “In Kenya today, it’s hard to be at peace when a loved one is arrested, because they might not make it back alive.”

The policy analyst also noted the irony of a country spending billions on surveillance, including CCTV systems, while extrajudicial killings and disappearances continue with impunity.

“It is clearly unprecedented…abductions happening in marketplaces, in front of families, followed by disappearance or death.”

He averred what he sees as the betrayal of the 2010 Constitution, which transformed the police force into a service meant to protect citizens and build trust. Instead, he said, recruitment has been corrupted by nepotism and bribery.

“It is a dumping ground now. Your parents are able to sell a cow, or a piece of land to buy you a slot.”

Kabando also criticised Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen for what he described as a tone-deaf national address following the killings.

“When Kenya is crying, when people are being maimed and killed, the Cabinet Secretary comes out to talk about how billions will be spent on CCTV. That is irresponsibility.”

Despite the grim outlook, Kabando offered a note of hope, pointing to constitutional remedies available to citizens.

“When a government goes wrong, the solution is change, ideally through elections every five years. But the Constitution also allows for a recall. That doesn’t mean we wait for another state-captured IEBC to oversee it”.