In 2025, President William Ruto issued a series of directives that ignited intense national debate, protests, and criticism from civil society and political actors. Among the most controversial was his instruction to police to shoot violent protesters targeting property during the June–July unrest. While Ruto defended the order as lawful and necessary to restore order, human rights groups and legal experts warned it risked encouraging extrajudicial killings and undermining constitutional safeguards on the use of force.
