“Robbing” the Police: Nairobi Police Decry Foul Play On New Uniforms

Kenya’s government has been painted a government of sweet promises with little action if fake promises are understatements. This has stretched to the police forces.

Police officers in Nairobi in a rare show of patriotism, if not desperation, have been forced to dig deep into their pockets to secure the new uniforms. 

The government had brought to the public domain on the change of the police uniform that it would supply to the officers. Strangely it has failed to supply uniforms to all units, instead has charged individual officers with the responsibility of acquiring their own.

The Law enforcers last Friday received a warning from the regional commander Rashid Yakub saying that disciplinary action would befall against any officers who report to work in the old attire.

“All officers must be in the new medium blue uniform, except for the formed-up units who have their order of dressing. Besides, all officers are cautioned against mixing uniforms or wearing non-uniform items alongside the uniform. Failure to comply with these instructions will attract serious disciplinary action,” the directive stated in the excerpt

The ugly truth.

 Officers had turned away from duty on Monday because they were yet to secure the new set. 

“Last week, those still in the old uniform were given the last warning. On Monday, we still wore them to work but we were turned away at the gate. The regional commander has now given a directive that we stay at home,” an officer said in a state of anonymity.

The distressed officers expressed their frustrations claiming that their superiors were forcing them to incur an unnecessary expenditure, who so far have been given them contacts of some civilian tailors approved to stitch the new uniforms at their cost.

The tailors do not come cheap; they are charging between Sh3,000 and Sh5,000 a pair. 

The pocket-empty policemen are decrying unfairness citing that they have not been given allowances towards that course wondering what happened to that government’s responsibility.

Mr. Yakub’s order has caused nervousness in the service, particularly to the officers who are yet to receive their batches since the distribution started in late 2018.

However, Inspector-General Hilary Mutyambai in his periodical interactive online session with Kenyans, dubbed #EngageTheIG on September 7, said the uniforms will be distributed in batches as and when resources are available.