Watching news is generally depressing these days, what is even more depressing is when a news item begins and up pops a young boy barely 8 years of age, frightened to death by cameras trained on him, hand cuffed, unable to even speak, thoroughly confused about what he has just experienced. It is absolutely innervating to think that despite the many gains celebrated , there are people out there who still have absolutely no sense of moral or thought in them. The story of the young boy handcuffed by police who allegedly came to his mother’s house with the intention of arresting her for selling illegal brew is poignant – heartrending in fact! The police allegedly found the boy in the house alone, beat him up senseless and handcuffed him for failure to account for his mother’s whereabouts! C’mon police officers, an eight year old?!?!
This story gravely highlights the rot in the police force. At this point no one would blame us for judging the entire police force harshly due to the actions of just one of their own, but cut me some slack, the police never walk alone - at least two of them, and when carrying out an illegal brew den swoop, they are usually more. Even if they were just two, didn't the colleague have the intestinal fortitude to let his colleague know that whatever he had done was utterly inhumane and illegal? Is he any better than his/her colleague who did the beating and handcuffing?
Kenyans overwhelmingly voted in a new constitution whose spirit shouted out super loud the need to protect the most vulnerable in society especially from excesses meted out by state apparatus. Among the features of the constitution that must have excited the Kenyan citizen is the idea of a revamped police force, fully accountable to the public with its head (with whom the back stops) being recruited in a transparent way leaving no doubts about his/her values, vision, integrity and experience. Article 244 of the Constitution lays down some of the objects that ought to be enshrined in the National Police Service both as a constitutive body but more importantly among its members. Highest standards of professionalism and discipline among its members, promotion of transparency and accountability, compliance with constitutional standards of human rights and fundamental freedom are but a few of the objects in the Constitution. Now am sure that no instruction manual at Kiganjo trains the kind of police officer that is capable of carrying out such a heinous act, however, the practice of impunity that the police force are accustomed to and that is deeply engrained in its work ethic is what Kenyans said "never again" to.
The putting off of interviews for the posts of Inspector-General and other Seniour members of the National Police Service due to the likely procedural quagmire after Mr. Hassan Omar and Mr. Okong’o Omogeni left their nominating organizations ought to be sorted out as soon as possible. We need that revamped police service in place soonest. We need a properly conducted vetting of the Seniour police officers with the aim of getting persons of high integrity capable of spearheading the rooting out of the systemic impunity that hangs as a dark cloud.
What happened to carrying out proper investigations? What happened to having proper intelligence to ensure that there is proper evidence and the person allegedly involved in the criminal activity is at the premises? SURELY police officers, what happened to the humanity in you? As if the poverty he suffers isn't enough. What extra police training do you get after Kiganjo and who in God’s name offers that training?!?
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