How does a nation die? It doesnt happen with a bang, but with the quiet, terrifying acceptance of the unacceptable. In Kenya today, the unacceptable has become routine. The police service, sworn to protect, has morphed into a force that executes its own citizens with chilling frequency, and our collective silence is the soundtrack to this unraveling.

The past week alone has been a bloodbath. The killing of 23-year-old Salim Masha, shot on January 14 only to die three days later, was not an anomaly. It was followed almost immediately by the shooting of George Matheri on January 18. These are not statistics; they are sons, brothers, and friends. They are the markers of a security system that has declared war on the very people it is meant to serve.

The Pattern of Impunity

Hussein Khalid, a veteran voice in the human rights struggle, argues compellingly that this is no longer about "rogue officers." It is systemic. "What was once treated as sporadic excess has now hardened into a disturbing pattern," he writes. When the state holds the monopoly on violence but lacks the discipline to control it, you do not have a police force; you have a militia in uniform.

• Trigger-Happy Culture: The speed at which officers resort to lethal force suggests a doctrine of "shoot first, ask questions never."
• The Security Breakdown: The recent killing of two police officers in a separate incident reveals that the rot eats both ways—the system is dysfunctional even for those within it.
• Complicity of Silence: Parliament, the Judiciary, and the middle class have largely looked away. But as Khalid warns, "Silence is no longer a neutral position; it is complicity."

The Breaking Point

A police service that views citizens as enemies cannot coexist with a democracy. We are reaching a tipping point where the public’s trust in law enforcement is not just eroded—it is non-existent.

We must confront this painful truth: A nation unravels when the badge becomes a license to kill. And right now, Kenya is fraying at the seams.