How Murkomen's words betray honest police officers who don't take 'fuel'

When Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen casually excused bribery within the police service, many Kenyans were rightly outraged.

But beyond the shock and anger lies a deeper danger: his words do not merely normalise corruption, they actively demoralise thousands of officers who try, against staggering odds, to serve with integrity. By suggesting that bribery is an acceptable or inevitable part of policing, Murkomen did not just fail the public. He betrayed the very officers he is supposed to defend. 

We must be clear: not every police officer is corrupt. Kenya has countless men and women in uniform who wake up every morning determined to do their duty with honesty. They stop matatus on the roads not to demand “tea,” but to ensure safety. They spend sleepless nights guarding our neighbourhoods, not because of kickbacks, but because they believe in public service. They reject bribes, resist political pressure, and cling to the hope that one day, the uniform will symbolise honour not shame. 

For these officers, Murkomen’s words were a slap in the face. To hear a senior Cabinet Secretary excuse corruption as though it were a natural fact of life is to be told that their sacrifices, their integrity, and their quiet resistance mean nothing. It is to be told that the government does not value honesty, only expediency. That message does not just insult them. It undermines them. It places them in the crosshairs of ridicule within their own ranks and emboldens the rogues who thrive on extortion. Every institution is shaped by its culture. When leaders excuse dishonesty, they tilt the culture toward corruption.

In the police service, this has devastating consequences. The “few bad apples” who take bribes at roadblocks suddenly become the norm, while those who refuse are treated as fools or outcasts. Dishonest officers begin to boast openly about their collections, while honest officers are isolated and shamed for their supposed “naivety.” In this way, corruption stops being the exception and becomes the expectation. 

That cultural shift has ripple effects far beyond the police service. A demoralised police officer is a dangerous officer. If honest officers stop believing that integrity is valued, they are left with three choices: conform to the corruption, withdraw from active service, or leave the force altogether.

None of these serves Kenya. Conformity expands the pool of extortionists. Withdrawal leaves communities unprotected. Resignation drains the service of its most principled members. Slowly, the institution is hollowed out from within, leaving Kenyans at the mercy of predatory officers with no counterbalance of integrity. 

In every station, in every unit, there are officers who want to do better, who want to restore the dignity of the badge. They are the seedbed of a reformed service. But seeds do not flourish when leaders pour poison into the soil. By excusing corruption, Murkomen poured poison where we should be watering hope. 

Worse still, his words reinforce the cynical belief among Kenyans that corruption is not just tolerated but officially sanctioned. When a CS shrugs off bribery, why should the public believe that government is serious about police reform? Why should they cooperate with the police? This is not merely a matter of words. In leadership, language sets the tone for policy. When leaders normalise corruption, enforcement dies. Supervisors look the other way.

Murkomen should apologise. Not only to Kenyans, but to the officers whose integrity he casually undermined. He should stand before them and say, clearly and unequivocally, that corruption is wrong, that it will not be tolerated, and that those who resist it will be supported and protected. Anything less is betrayal. 

But the responsibility goes beyond Murkomen. Every leader must learn that corruption is not a minor inconvenience. It is a cancer that eats away at the very possibility of a just and secure society. The Constitution guarantees every Kenyan security under Article 29. That right is not conditional on paying bribes. To reduce it to a transactional exchange between citizens and rogue officers is to strip Kenyans of their dignity.