Kenya’s police chief has resigned in response to criticism of officers’ actions during recent anti-government protests, in which dozens of demonstrators died.
The president said in a statement on Friday that President William Ruto has “accepted the resignation” of Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, who has been in the position since November 2022.
Deputy Inspector-General Douglas Kanja has been appointed acting police chief with immediate effect, the presidency said.
The announcement came a day after Ruto sacked nearly his entire cabinet, bowing to the demands of protesters.
Some of the young people behind the demonstrations had called for Koome to go, with police accused of using excessive force during the protests, the most serious crisis of Ruto’s near two-year presidency.
Ruto has taken a series of measures to placate the demonstrators, including abandoning the finance bill containing deeply unpopular tax increases that triggered the protests.
On Thursday, he dismissed the attorney general and all cabinet ministers, with the exception of Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
But the cabinet announcement, while welcomed by some, did not appease some young Kenyans frustrated with Ruto’s failure to deliver on his 2022 election promises to create jobs and boost their fortunes.
