NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 17 – Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has issued a ban on members of the National Police Service using social media platforms to air their grievances without pursuing mechanism within the service.
According to the circular seen by Shahidi News, officers have been directed to desist from advancing their grievances online and instead use the established channels which include quality control, assurance, complaint and gender offices at Jogoo House as well as at the Internal Affairs Unit offices.
The circular further indicates that under the service section order in article 55, officers are prohibited from transmitting information on social media unless they can clearly be linked to the conduct of official business.
Officers are now cautioned against this, with the IG warning that a disciplinary action will be taken against anyone violating the standing orders.
“It is also an offense against discipline under section 6 chapter 30 of the service standing orders to discloser convey any information on police maters without proper authority. Sharing of information with the media whether verbally or otherwise must be done in accordance with the regulations,” a section of the circular reads.
The directive considered by some as an attempt to muzzle freedom of expression within the police service comes just days after a female officer expressed frustrations over how she was unfairly treated by her senior bosses.
The officer attached in Lang’ata police station in Nairobi accused her bosses via a series of posts on Instagram that despite being pregnant and sick at one point, she was accused of absconding duty and insubordination.
She said that her seniors were aware of her condition.
The officer further, alleged that she had been denied her entitled maternal leave.
The matter is yet to be publicly fully resolved.
Back in May, a female officer in a viral video on social media expressed her frustrations over increased mistreatment and sexual abuse in the service.
The officer in a video targeting the Inspector General further expressed her dissatisfaction at the manner in which the welfare of officers, particularly police women are neglected.
“I pray I am given the opportunity to resign peacefully,” she said in the viral video.
“I have written several resignation letters but they do not reach the inspector general of police. We cannot continue to suffer even as some officers result to committing suicide.”
According to the officer, a good number of men and women in service continue to suffer in silence despite being abused and mistreated at the hands of superior officers.
Mechanisms availed to police to report such incidents such as the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) have allegedly failed officers with those tasked to resolve reported cases of abuse meted on officers turning a blind eye.
“Working for the police is just awful, there is no benefit at all. take a look at the IAU, a very big office but what kind of work to they do?” posed the officer.
In a similar incident in 2019 a female administration police officer, Sgt. Jane Asimitsi in Kakamega accused her bosses of mistreatment.
“When I went to the office of my bosses and attempted to highlight the issues that were affecting me, they treated me like I was not an officer. I have complained but nothing was ever done,” she said.
A disciplinary committee was formed to probe the matter.
In January this year alone, at least 5 police officers committed suicide.
One notable case was that of Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi’s bodyguard, who killed his wife before turning the gun on himself.
His wife was a police officer based at the Kilimani Police Division.
The National Police Service Commission is in the process of establishing a mental health unit for police, in a bid to address some of the arising cases.
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