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VIDEO: Police officer releases song, insists she wants to quit


A female officer who recently went viral after sharing a video in which she complaining of sexual harassment and discrimination by senior officers has now gone a step further and released a song.

The move comes weeks after the Office of the Inspector General of Police prohibited police officers from sharing any information on the Service operations with the public.

Police Constable (PC) Viviana Williams, who is based in Mombasa, has released a song titled Kilio Changu, which reportedly features an unidentified male Administration Police (AP) officer.

In the song, the officer reiterates the earlier sentiments she made in her viral video, saying she is tired of the police service and wants to be relieved from her duties.

“Sina hamu tena, na kazi ya polisi. Naambia wakubwa tena, hii ni kilio changu. Nimetuma barua mara mingi sana kwa ofisi lakini hazifiki… Mimi nimechoka na kazi ya kupenda hongo… Sitaki tena (I have no interest in being a police officer. I am telling my seniors, hear my cries. I have sent letters to the office but they are not received. I am tired of loving the jobs where bribes are the order of the day. I am not interested),” she sings.

Her new song comes weeks after the Police IG ordered the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of the National Police Service to probe the matter while at the same time warning banning them from using social media as a platform for airing their grievances or speaking about the challenges that they undergo in the course of their duties.

Police officers have also been gagged from talking to the press without permission.

In a signal circulated to all officers last month, the IG warned any officer found sharing information with either the press or social media will face disciplinary action.

“The Inspector-General has noted with a lot of concern that officers have developed a habit of using social media to advance their grievances without exhausting the laid down channels which include quality assurance/ complaint and gender offices at the service headquarters or the Internal Affairs Unit,” says a memo sent by Mwangi Wanderi on behalf of the Director of Criminal Investigations.

This comes on the backdrop of an increase in cases by officers taking to social media after being frustrated by their bosses.

With communication lines within the National Police Service continuing to be constrained, a number of officers have in the recent past opted to air their grievances in the open, often catching their superiors by surprise.

According to Police Standing Orders, only gazetted officers are allowed to speak to the press. Under the current regime, however, even these gazetted officers are finding it difficult to communicate with the public as communication is increasingly being centralised at Vigilance House.

The new orders by the IG came just three days after a female police officer based at Langata Police Station publicly asked the IGP to intervene and save her from her bosses who were frustrating her at work.

Police Constable Swaleh Rehema said on her Instagram account that Langata Sub County Commander Benjamin Mwanthi and OCS William Matu not only denied her maternal leave but also accused her of deserting duty, meaning her salary will be deducted.

The officer claimed that she had been made to work non-stop until her delivery date. And even after giving birth she was ordered to report back to work and was transferred to West Park Police Post. On arrival there, she was informed that she had been reported as being absent from work and that her station was actually Lang’ata Police Station.

“The duty roster was changed and I was reposted back to Lang’ata without being informed,” complained Constable Rehema.