In a statement released on Friday, the presidency announced that President William Ruto has “accepted the resignation” of Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, who has served since November 2022. The resignation follows widespread criticism of the police’s handling of recent antigovernment demonstrations that resulted in the deaths of dozens of protesters.
Deputy Inspector-General Douglas Kanja has been appointed as the acting police chief with immediate effect, according to the presidency.
The announcement of Koome’s resignation came just a day after President Ruto dismissed nearly his entire cabinet, a move aimed at addressing the demands of the protesters. The demonstrations, which represent the most significant crisis of Ruto’s presidency thus far, saw young protesters calling for Koome’s removal due to allegations of excessive force used by police during the protests.
Kenya’s national rights watchdog reported that at least 39 people were killed in the antigovernment protests.
Catherine Soi, reporting from Nairobi for Al Jazeera, highlighted the importance of Koome’s resignation. “This is what these young protesters and many other Kenyans have been asking for. They were asking for the police chief to resign because of how he handled those protests,” she said. “It wasn’t just tear gas the police were using, it was also live bullets. Some people are still in hospital because they were shot. Many others died because of the shooting.”
In an effort to placate the demonstrators, Ruto has taken several measures, including scrapping a finance bill containing unpopular tax increases that had triggered the protests. On Thursday, he dismissed the attorney general and all cabinet ministers, except for Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
However, these actions have not fully satisfied some young Kenyans who are disillusioned with Ruto’s unfulfilled promises from the 2022 election campaign, which included job creation and economic improvements.
“We will be back on the streets until Ruto goes. He has wasted two years in office travelling and telling lies,” said Hyrence Mwangi, a 25-year-old protester, in an interview with AFP.
Initially peaceful, the protests escalated sharply when police fired at crowds storming parliament on June 25, leading to the ransacking of the partially ablaze complex.
