TIME FOR KENYAN POLITICIANS TO STOP INTERFERING WITH PROFESSIONALISM OF POLICE SERVICE IS NOW

Kenya Police living at the mercy of the wrekless Kenyan politicians regardless of their profession. PHOTO /CORRESPONDENT

TIME FOR KENYAN POLITICIANS TO STOP INTERFERING WITH PROFESSIONALISM OF POLICE SERVICE IS NOW

By Charles Odhiambo (African Times Guest Writer)

Is police work becoming a major ingredient of

the political recipe in Kenya? We live in

interesting times where every player in the

Kenyan political class feel that the police can

never be termed ‘professional’ unless and until

they are supporting and furthering their

individual agenda.

As such very senior and respectable leaders

have continued to mislead our people to think

that they should only obey laws, rules or

regulations because they are doing so for the

police hence it is only here in Kenya that

motorists would not obey any of the traffic rules

unless there is a uniformed police officer in

sight.

Even during the current Covid 19 pandemic, the

police service has to extensively be involved in

enforcement of simple regulations against the

desire of the medical experts.

The police has to be present even to guard the

quarantine centres to prevent those who

already know they are positive for the virus

from wilfully attempting to go back to the

society.

A time has come for responsible Kenyans to

self critique and ask themselves whether if they

were to replace the current service we have they

would do any better than them in the current

circumstances.

To begin with, the police is a disciplined service

and thanks to this that they are able to cope.

This is because police work could well be the

most challenging profession you ever will come

across.

Aside from the trauma associated with the

scenes encountered in the course of rendering

their services, the poor state of the social

amenities at their disposal which makes the

quality of their stay degrading or too expensive

to afford for those who opt to get privately

owned services, the constant threat to their

lives and that of their family members, they

also have to deal with an unappreciative society

with an uncaring attitude towards them all

thanks to some of our existing leaders.

They do not understand that except to the

extent that police officers are well trained on

discipline, they are also Kenyans like any other

Kenyan, they shoulder responsibilities like any

other because they have families to take care of

and above all they also break down emotionally

and at times they need professional help.

Remember, they may be trained officers but

they get married to and live with civilian

population apart from the fact that they too

bring up civilian population in the name of

families.

The political class should therefore know better

that any disciplined service duty is to support

the Government of the day and create a

conducive environment for them to deliver on

their promises to the citizenry.

This is to say they are completely apolitical

meaning in the cycle of policing, we have police

officers who have served all the regimes since

independence and they have been faithful to all

of them.

To direct your anger to the disciplined services

is like to ‘expect a hoisted flag not to sway in

the direction of the wind’ because tomorrow if

you make it to that ‘Government of the day’, you

are assured of their support.

But as if this is not enough, we are observing

very dangerous precedents by the political

class that out rightly make nonsense of

professionalism in police work. Look at this,

almost all political leaders today withdraw their

personal security from the National Police

Service.

These are police officers seconded to them but

still remain under the command of the

Inspector General meaning they retain all their

powers as police officers, then the same IG

directs that a member of the political class

needs to be arrested for an alleged offence,

sends another team of officers to arrest the

politician with armed security without first

withdrawing them and the result? We have

casualties during the arrest? Why? Every police

officer feels they have to deliver on their

assignments.

Why not order the already provided police

officers who know the movement of this

politician to arrest and deliver him/her to the

nearest police station?

‘What is good for the goose, is good for the

gunder’, therefore it’s important to know that

disciplined forces will always give their support

to the Government of the day whose head is the

president and the Commander in Chief of all

armed forces and that to play bad politics and

in the process break laws and or regulations

and expect to see no action taken or when it’s

taken, blame them for ‘unprofessionalism’ is

like to expect a tortoise to climb a tree.

Let us not foster confusion in the police service

because it will definitely lead to setting up of

one unit of the service against the other and

because they are armed, easily lead to

casualties.

My advice to the political class is that you

should never make the police part of your

strategy and if you do, you know where it will

lead you therefore you should stop the ‘blame

game’. To the police officers, ‘ remain true to

your oath of allegiance’ and ensure

professionalism at all times.

(Charles Odhiambo is the Director, Crimesight Solutions)

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