By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, 28 August 2026 - President William Ruto has challenged the police to look beyond street-level offenders and pursue the people who finance, organise and deploy gangs to disrupt political activities as Kenya heads towards the 2027 General Election.
Ruto said on Friday that arresting young people carrying weapons would not be enough if those recruiting, transporting and paying them were allowed to walk free.
“Do not arrest only the young people holding a weapon while allowing the person who recruited, transported, and paid them to escape responsibility,” Ruto said.
Speaking during the pass-out parade of newly trained Kenya Police Service officers at the National Police College in Kiganjo, Nyeri County, the President warned politicians against using organised groups to intimidate opponents or disrupt public meetings.
He said political ambitions could not be used to justify violence, insisting that security agencies must deal with all those involved regardless of their political connections.
“Politically sponsored violence has no place in our democracy,” Ruto said.
The President’s remarks come as political activity begins to intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with rival political camps holding rallies and public engagements across the country.
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Rather than restricting political gatherings, Ruto said the police had a responsibility to protect Kenyans’ constitutional freedoms, including the right to peaceful and unarmed demonstrations.
He cited Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket and present petitions to public authorities peacefully and without weapons.
Ruto said the same protection should apply to political gatherings, with police expected to maintain order without allowing individuals or groups to turn political events into scenes of violence.
“No politician is entitled to a private militia. No candidate has the right to intimidate citizens. No political objective can justify violence,” he said.
The President directed security agencies to remain impartial and enforce the law against both those who carry out violence and those who facilitate it.
His warning places greater emphasis on tracing the networks and financing behind politically linked violence, rather than treating individual offenders as the end point of investigations.
The remarks were made as over 6, 000 newly trained police constables formally joined the Kenya Police Service following nine months of training at Kiganjo.