Adminstration Police Officer coins song in memory of Baragoi deaths

By CAROLINE NYANGA

NAIROBI, KENYA: Corporal Sammy Ondimu Ngare is one officer who has managed to provide inspiration for looking at the Police Force differently.

Popularly known as ‘Sammy’ for close to four years, Corporal has been hustling between the tough police career and music-something he describes as a calling and enjoys doing most. 

“I am happy that there are a section of people who love and appreciate my music. That is a sign that I am headed in the right direction,” says Sammy.

His successful debut gospel album is Askari Ni Wanadamu (policemen are human), which was released three years ago and sold over 2000 copies in a span of two months.

Today, he is back with a new album titled Kilio Baragoi. The six- track album sang in Swahili and a tinge of Kisii, is done in various styles of Reggae, Worship, Lingala and Kisii traditions.

Memeory of 42 officers

Kilio Baragoi is in memory of the 42 police officers killed in the line of duty in Baragoi –a few weeks before the just concluded General Election.

“I was touched by the brutal - inhuman acts set upon fellow officers and grief felt by their families. This inspired me to do the song that would linger in the minds of Kenyans for while considering our forgetful nature,” says Sammy.

On top of this Sammy and a few of his colleagues helped raise funds for one of the affected families.

KTN story

“ Upon watching the moving a story on KTN of a poor mother whose son was killed in Baragoi and had no means of surviving on her own we decided to raise some funds to assist her. To date her perception about the police force has changed for the better,” he adds.

 Inspired by the teachings of the Bible and daily life happenings- Sammy says some of his ardent fans are in the Police Force. But that is not the sole reason Sammy decided to do music.  “Mine is to enlighten the community and equally change their negative perception towards the police force which for long has been viewed as hell on earth.”

He once recall being sent on duty alongside a colleague to a house within Nairobi’s Eastland’s estate where the victim – (a youth) ended up referring to them as beasts.

 “ I took time to preach to him in order to make him understand that we are all human. It was also at this point that I ended up with  title of my album Askari ni Wanadamu.”

At the time of its release, most of its songs attracted interest from a section of Kenyans in the Diaspora, something he describes as a boon for his singing career.

“The fact that I have infused various styles in my songs including reggae and Rumba makes them unique and a must-listen to people of all generations and ethnic backgrounds,” he says.

Today, the corporal based at Umoja Innercore AP Camp but works at Nyayo House remains one of the popular entertainers from  Western and Nyanza regions.

 Sammy explains he is already in the process of instilling the act of community policing whenever he goes in order to facilitate his relationship with Kenyans.

“It is high time Kenyans realised that police is just a profession like any other and at the end of the day we are all equal- hence the need to live in harmony as brothers and sisters,” he advises.

He has also initiated a project dubbed ‘Street Families’ situated within ‘Green House base’ – in Umoja One estate. The project that has been there for sometime is aimed at counselling street urchins, providing them with their daily needs.  He has a second project in Kayole estate named Max Factor- that caters for abandoned children, sexually assaulted and rape victims.