TRIBALISM IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

The Last time I published a blog here was on 23-Apr-2015 but after Evanso MC Marsha – (hi is your blog still up n running ) and Fuchiuristic Fuchiuristic Fuchiuristic ...( ...andika blog tusome wewe..) request, let me say this..

This Morning, I watched a 48 Minutes video posted by Alshabaab after the El-Adde attack and it broke my heart. The contents of that video are just heartbreaking. I can’t share the video but let us pray for the men in uniform especially those in operational areas. Immediately after viewing the El adde attack video, I bumped onto a Facebook post by Boniface Mwangi on post election violence that got me thinking, 28^th December 2016 will mark exactly 12 Years since I joined the then Kenya Police Force (GSU). I don’t take this for granted as we have lost officers in the line of duty hence I got a reason to thank my maker for the opportunity to serve and for keeping me moving.

I quickly called myself to a brief meeting and I asked myself, Mwangi, what is your highest moment and what is your lowest moment so far as a man in uniform now that death is so real and the only thing you leave behind is a story that other people will narrate hence they may end up expressing their personal views and not what you could have said? This is the reason why I chose to write this.

The best moment is that I did not bribe my way into the service. I prayed God that he gives me a job so that I can be able to pay for my studies after I had cleared form four. He heard my prayers, gave me a job and I was able to undertake an undergraduate course, BCOM HRM at KCA University, Higher Diploma at CHRM and an MBA HRM at University of Nairobi and from September,2008-December, 2014 I was done. To God be the glory and honor! I have shared this in my previous blogs hence I need not say much.

For my lowest moments, these three moments came to my min.  El-Adde attack? Baragoi Attack? Post Election Violence? I could not settle on any but let me say something about the Post Election Violence and the attack on my tribe. After watching this video, link provided below ,I realized that nobody says much about Policemen’s encounter with tribalism beyond recruitment, promotion and placement hence my low moment.

(https://www.facebook.com/BonifaceMwangiBM/videos/1177882685564961/?pnref=story)

Days before the elections, I left Nairobi and headed to Kisumu. I was in a platoon of officers drawn from the sports unit from our Headquarters that was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that Kisumu was safe before and after the elections. On our way, my fellow officers were celebrating the possibility of earning one thousand dollars after one of the presidential candidate had allegedly promised that he would ensure that the lowest police officer would earn at least one thousand dollars if he was elected as the president. In this case, we were engaged in a tough conversation where the majority was of the opinion that this was possible but I asked a question that did not auger well with my colleagues. One of them was, where will this money come from? Will we discover oil or gold whose sale would generate money that would be used to pay us a thousand dollars per month? Little did I know that I was immediately labeled as an enemy by a good number of colleagues. This would come out clearly after we arrived and after the election results were announced.

We had an officer (nick named Kivuitu) who had a small hand held radio that was very helpful to us as we would follow election updates from it. Immediately the results were announced, a colleague scoffed at me and told me that we had stolen the elections (Mumeiba Kura!) I asked him how we did it and I was with him in the same Lorry and he told me that my people (People from my tribe) had done so hence am part of them and that meant that the possibly of earning one thousand dollars had diminished.

The conversation that followed was very heartbreaking and dangerous to a point where I called an auntie of mine and advised her to be on standby incase I needed her to book me a flight from Kisumu-Nairobi now that most roads were impassable and I felt like it was no longer safe for me to work with people who labeled me as an enemy just because someone from my tribe had been declared as the winner of the presidential elections. The days after this were unbearable for me. Patrolling Kisumu City was not a walk in the park. Engaging the demonstrators was not easy too as my mind was un settled. I gave my best but I still recall how buildings were burnt, brand new vehicles set ablaze in the show rooms, shops looted and the setting ablaze of part of Ukwala Super Market Kisumu.

Angry demonstrators tried to set ablaze Ministry of Public works premises but we took charge before they could do so. Others wanted to extend their anger to Kisumu Airport but they did not make it as we stood guard. Lorries carrying petroleum products for export also had a rough time but we still prevailed against the demonstrators and ensured that they did not set the lorries ablaze or siphon the products they were ferrying. We ensured that Ayoti Beer distributors’ stores were not vandalized and so did we ensure that brookside warehouses/stores were safe. We did so much as a team and my tribe did not matter here.  After the violence was over, we left Kisumu for Nairobi.

On our way, we passed by a Stadium whose name I can’t recall where IDPs had taken refuge. It was raining and IDPs had erected nylon paper thatched shanties, they had lit fire outside these shanties but because of the rains, only smoke could be seen from the outside of every shanty as the rain water would put off the fire despite the need for heat at least for the kids who could be heard crying, desperation was hanging all over and no one seemed to care. The most shocking thing was what one of our officers said, ‘’Ona vile Wakikuyu wanahangaika baadaya ya kuiba kura”. This he said with a lot of Joy which got me thinking, did these IDPs really ‘steal’ the votes as alleged? It was a sad moment indeed. Either way, our journey back to Nairobi continued where we passed by deserted homes, ruins of what were maisonettes and bungalows before elections that had been reduced to ashes, shopping centers that had been deserted and property vandalized  but this was very okey with a bigger percentage of my colleagues who had switched to their local dialect to ensure that they shared the ’juicy’ stories with less interruption from people like me who could not stand the mockery. They were all smiles; they cheered and jeered at the gory structures.

At last, we arrived in Nairobi but I was a wounded officer. I was hurting from inside, I could not understand why I was accused of stealing votes, neither did I understand why an officer would celebrate now that people from a certain tribe had been evicted from their homes, I could not comprehend how I stood in between my fellow officers and one thousand dollars so that all manner of worlds could be hurled towards me for just being from a certain tribe. I did not chose my parents, neither did I chose a name for myself; I was just a young officer who did not have a voting card either. Pain full memories were all I was left with after diligently serving my country during the post election violence.  This I did not share with anyone but now I have done so. It remains my lowest moment in the Police Service.

Twelve years of service are fast approaching but am all smiles. Things are changing, we are transforming, I love my job, I am a proud officer and I chose to stay put till I make Kenya a secure Nation and Make the Service a better one where young ones will grow up dreaming of joining it, not because of how fast one can enrich himself or herself with ill gotten wealth but because it will be a professional Police service, free from tribal outfits who can only see tribe from an officer. This will be a service where recruitment will be free of bias and promotion will be on of merit. I dare to dream…..!