President Ruto made the controversial orders during the commissioning of a police housing project in the capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday.
“Anyone who burns down someone else’s business and property, let them be shot in the leg and go to the hospital as they head to court. Let them not be killed, but shoot and break the legs.”
His remarks come in the wake of recent anti-government protests across Kenya, largely driven by youth anger over rising living costs, corruption, rising cases of abduction and police brutality.
The demonstrations, many led by the so-called “Gen Z” movement, have intensified following the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), at least 31 people were killed and more than 100 injured during the latest wave of protests on Monday, with over 500 arrested.
“The UN, Amnesty International Kenya, and other rights bodies have accused the Kenyan police of using excessive force, including live bullets against unarmed demonstrators during the recent protests that coincided with ‘Saba Saba’, a day commemorating the pro-democracy protests of 1990.”
Among the dead in the Monday demos was a 12-year-old boy in Kiambu, reportedly hit by a stray bullet while at home. Rights groups documented widespread looting, destruction of public and private property, and the use of unmarked police vehicles allegedly ferrying armed gangs into protest zones.
UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani condemned the killings, noting that “lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons were used,” while hospitals were attacked and looted during the chaos.
The President’s directive follows similar hardline comments from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who last month told police to shoot anyone approaching police stations, labeling them as security threats.
“Anyone who gets near a police station, shoot them. Why should someone who wants to steal firearms be spared? Firearms are not doughnuts!” Murkomen said after the June 25 protests, during which multiple police stations and county offices were attacked and torched.
President Ruto defended the crackdown, warning that any attacks on law enforcement or state facilities would be treated as terrorism.
“Those who attack our police, security installations, including police stations, are declaring war. It is terrorism, and we are going to deal with you firmly,” he said.
“Kenya cannot and will not be ruled through threats, terror, or chaos. Not under my watch.”
But the President also turned his fire on unnamed political rivals whom he accused of bankrolling the unrest to destabilise his government.
“It is leaders financing youth to carry out those acts, and we are coming after you,” Ruto warned.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who fell out with Ruto and was impeached last year, denied claims of any attempt to unseat the President unconstitutionally.
“Nobody wants you out of government unlawfully. We want to face you on the ballot in August 2027, so just relax,” Gachagua said.
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