Recently, the media have quoted CID director Ndegwa Muhoro, police spokesman Eric Kiraithe and his deputy Charles Owino saying the police force doesn’t need a civilian as Inspector General (IG).
However, as a police officer, I doubt the trio are speaking for the force but representing other interested parties.
Definitely, they are not acting for the police because there has not been a consensus in the force over the matter. As a serving police officer, I can attest that a number of senior officers at Vigilance House are anti-reform and that is why the trio’s remarks do not reflect the collective police voice.
They should be appearing before the media highlighting the challenges we as police officers undergo, rather than offering unsolicited information to the wrong audience. This information should be shared with the national police service commission and the Parliament, not the media.
Generally, most junior officers want to see an overhaul of the top senior officers in the force, who, over the years, have proved to be rigid to reform. Only a total change would ensure reforms are felt by the junior officers and the public.
It is evident top officers fear change of guard because they, definitely, have rot to hide in the force, which a civilian Inspector General would obviously uncover.
There is also the feeling that the police headquarters is determined and is strategising to have Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere take the seat of inspector general. I don’t doubt the capability of Iteere to lead the force, but this should be at the exclusion of many other qualified officers. Unfortunately, majority of this lot have tainted past records.
Drugs exposÈ
For instance I imagine a current senior officer appearing in the interview and KTN’s recent clip of Jicho Pevu on how Afande Chemorei (of GSU) was executed played and then he is asked to comment.
What kind of reforms would senior officers mentioned in the drugs exposÈ offer the police force?
Undoubtedly, the police force, both Regular and Administration Police, are synonymous to impunity and any possible strategies to scuttle reforms are being employed and the public should be on alert to avert this.
Why is AP silent?
And by the way, why is AP — a well established police service under the Constitution — not showing similar interests as Kiraithe and team? We have not seen their senior officers issuing statements regarding the IG post.
With these theatrics, can Kiraithe and team afford the humility we saw with a senior AP officer when he went to apologise to a granny for brutality meted on her by his juniors?
This is a sign of reform as public expects not the Kiraithe rhetoric when denying what the public knows as ills in the force.
For instance, we saw his office deny the Kawangware incident where a father and a son were killed by a Kenya Police officer. What was so hard for Kiraithe and team to admit the claims against the officer and institute investigations?
It is time we appreciated there is a law in place to change the image and practice of policing in Kenya. It is now a shared responsibility between Kenya Police and AP forces. It is, therefore, important our bosses at Vigilance House stopped assuming the IG will be housed at their headquarters.
My plea to Mr Muhoro, Mr Kiraithe and Mr Owino is that we need to give Kenyans a break and let a Police Service Commission be put in place and Kenyans will have the IG through the commission as per the Constitution.
It’s better for you to concentrate to reforming the image of Kenya Police, which has, for some time now, been the undisputed holder of the trophy of the most corrupt and inefficient institution in Kenya.
Let Kenyans have their say on what kind of police boss they wish to have.
{Concerned Officer, Via Email}
We need more effort to help ‘weak’ learners
Going by the 2011 KCPE results, more than 400,000 children are going to miss out on secondary education. Only 48 per cent of those who sat for the exams got over 250 marks out of a possible 500.
Sadly, our education systems is geared towards educating only the supposedly bright students. However, there are ways in which we can assist the academically weak.
First, are all those who scored below 250 marks really weak? There is a shortage of teachers and the teacher-pupil ratio in public schools is just but a dream. Over 60 students are crammed in a classroom and an overwhelmed teacher is expected to take each child through the learning process. The Government needs to employ more teachers.
Secondly, the private schools need to be regulated. There are schools that refuse to register pupils with below 350 marks for KCPE. Such pupils are denied chance to Class Eight. Those that take a softer stand register two schools — one for weaker candidates and another for the bright.
Grilling learners
Those in the bright school score over 350 marks and the school is thought to be performing well. But what does it take to be bright? There is a lot of drilling in those schools. There is tuition after classes, tuition over the holiday in addition to not engaging in co-curricular activities like games, music and drama. Instead, there are compulsory paid trips. Only parents with a medium level income can afford this education.
That said, let the Government focus on taking most, if not all children to secondary school. This is because whereas some students will not make it to the university, some will go to mid-level colleges, some will be able to take technical course while others will have met some of the national educational goals like cultural integration and individual development.
No one can really go through the education system and learn nothing, even if they achieve grade E. Leaning is change of behaviour.
When in school, the teacher needs to identify the problems that learners have. It could be poor eyesight, learning problems, physical handicaps, slow learning ability or mental retardation. This will enable the teacher to adjust his on her teaching methods. Some learners learn by hearing others by seeing and others by activity. For these so-called slow learners the teacher should go an extra mile.
Also, the Government needs to diversify the system of education. The current system is geared towards white collar jobs. This is why students only say they want to become engineers, doctors and lawyers. Rarely do you hear children say they would become businesspeople, teachers and mechanics or dressmakers. Yet, in real life most people land in these careers.
{Wambui Chege, Kiambu}
Yes, let’s end era of covering ‘tribesmen’
Many things have not come out in the Village Market incident involving Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza and security guard Ms Rebecca Kerubo.
However, given our usual reaction to national issues, where we look at everything with tribal/communal lens, the Luhya community deserves commendation for staying away from this saga. I wish this can be the norm.
It is time Kenyan communities stopped defending wrongdoers in high office by forming tribal walls around the suspect and claiming "our people are being finished".
{James Kihali, Bungoma}
Kutuny got it wrong about Tanui article
The attack on Mr Kipkoech Tanui by Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny was uncalled for the simple reason that the columnist simply expressed the truth about the new party headed by Eldoret North MP William Ruto and a group of hangers-on including Kutuny himself.
By insinuating Mr Tanui is an outcast simply because he expressed his opinion reflects the immaturity and intolerance in the psyche of most MPs from the Rift Valley.
For them, if you have a divergent view, you are lebelled an outcast; this is exactly what brings about tribal chauvinism.
Writers like Tanui are trying to open up the minds of the Rift Valley residents so that they can make informed decisions during elections instead of blindly following some leaders who could be leading them nowhere.
{Christopher Kibiwott, Nairobi}
