The government is doubling down on its hardline stance against narcotics. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has thrown his full weight behind President Ruto’s controversial proposal to introduce the death penalty for convicted drug barons, terming it the "ultimate deterrent" for merchants of death.

Speaking at a security baraza in Mombasa, a region ravaged by heroin addiction, Murkomen argued that jail terms are insufficient for individuals who destroy generations. "If you sell poison to our children, you forfeit your right to life," the CS declared. "We cannot treat cancer with Panadol. We need surgery."

A Constitutional Hurdle

The proposal faces a steep legal climb. Kenya has not executed a prisoner since 1987, and the Supreme Court has previously ruled the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional. Human rights groups have condemned the rhetoric as populist and retrogressive. "State killing is not justice," stated the Kenya Human Rights Commission. "It is a distraction from the corruption in the police force that allows drugs to flow."

• The Target: Murkomen insisted the law would target the "big fish"—the importers and financiers—not the street peddlers. He revealed that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) has compiled a "Red List" of top traffickers.
• Public Sentiment: In communities devastated by addiction, the proposal has found surprising support. "They kill our sons every day with needles," said a mother in Kisauni. "Let them face the same fate."

The Singapore Model

The administration appears to be borrowing from the playbook of nations like Singapore and Saudi Arabia. Whether this "shock and awe" policy will pass Parliament remains to be seen, but the government has signaled that the era of leniency is officially over.