President Ruto has defended Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja after the officer faced sharp criticism for attending his rally in Nyeri on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
Kanja’s presence sparked backlash, with legal bodies and politicians raising concerns about the neutrality of the police force, which is expected to remain impartial in political matters.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) led the criticism, calling for an immediate public apology from the Inspector-General.
However, the Head of State dismissed the controversy as Kanja accompanied his delegation in Tharaka Nithi on Friday, April 4, 2025.
During his third day in the mountain region, Ruto emphasized that there was no issue with Kanja attending a function aimed at serving the public.
Vilifying the IG
“I was in Nyeri to hand over title deeds to people in Nyeri who deserve them. The IG came to the function, and people want to vilify the inspector general that he came to a meeting where we were serving the public,” Ruto said.
“Many of them have wanted to come and raise an issue with this meeting. He is here because I am on a development tour of Tharaka Nithi County, and in that process, we also have police housing units, and it is proper and right for me to hand them to the IG for the use of the officers,’ he clarified.
The president also fired a warning to politicians whom he accused of attempting to politicise important development tasks.
“I want to encourage other leaders in Kenya not to look at everything from the prism and lenses of politics. Between the five years of the election cycle, in between, there is more important stuff to do as a government and as a people,” he added.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has also defended Kanja’s presence and address at the event.
In a statement on Friday, April 4, 2025, Mwaura emphasised that the president’s tour is not a political campaign but an initiative to engage directly with citizens and assess the government’s performance on the ground.
“The president is not on a campaign tour. He is meeting the citizens who voted for him and getting first-hand information on how the government he heads is performing on the ground,” Mwaura said.
“The President is fully entitled to coverage by NPS, where the IG is the CEO, and when the IG addressed his villagers, he talked about Ruto’s visit, not about political parties or competitive politics.”
“The I.G. was fully on duty, and it is his responsibility to take direct command on any police duties/operations when he deems it necessary,” he added.