People’s Liberation Party Leader Martha Karua has strongly criticised elements within the Kenyan police, asserting that rogue officers who misuse their authority are worse than common criminals.
In an exclusive interview with a local radio station on Friday, February 27, 2026, Karua argued that while goons act outside the law due to ignorance, police officers are trained to uphold it. When they target peaceful citizens, they betray the public trust and lose the moral authority of their uniforms.
“They are still goons because what they are doing is not their duty,” Karua said.
She explained that any officer who shoots at a peaceful crowd and injures innocent people becomes a rogue officer.
“Even if a police officer shoots at a peaceful crowd and ends up hurting an innocent person, he is a rogue. That is what we call a rogue police, and that is actually what we call a goon,” she stated.
Karua emphasised that such misconduct makes these officers worse than ordinary criminals because they abuse tools and authority provided by the public.
“He is worse than a goon who does not have the law. He actually abuses the weapon that we bought them and turns it into a murder weapon,” she said.
Comparing firearms issued to officers to tools provided by an employer, Karua said:
“It is like picking up a panga he was given by their employer,” she noted, stressing that the weapons are meant to protect citizens, not harm them.
Her comments have sparked widespread debate online, with many agreeing that rogue officers must be held accountable, while others defended the police, noting that most officers serve with integrity. Karua concluded that restoring public trust depends on enforcing accountability within the security sector and ensuring that law enforcement carries out its duties responsibly.
