Operations at a police station in Mairo-Inya, Nyahururu, briefly came to a standstill after hundreds of residents stormed the facility, calling for a transfer of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS).
Led by community leaders, the residents infiltrated the station in peaceful demonstrations as they openly faulted the incumbent OCS for what they termed poor service delivery.
The residents accused the OCS of tolerating crime in the area, which they say has been on the rise since it took charge of posts in the area.
According to area residents, crimes ranging from mugging to cattle theft to car burglary have been on the rise, with attempts to report the matter to police having been futile.
"This wound must be nailed. One of our boys was mugged, and when he reported the case, he was told it was too rainy," one resident lamented.
The residents further alleged that police often turned a blind eye to their complaints. In other instances, the reports are simply turned in to the complaints desk and are never fully addressed. This, in turn, eroded their confidence in the current administration, hence calls to have a new OCS.
In an interesting twist, the residents' numbers and intense protests flushed out the OCS, who appeared to succumb to pressure.
While responding to the irate crowd, OCS Muniu Njoroge boldly shifted the blame back to the very people who wanted to oust him, alleging bribery incidents were getting in the way of the police's attempts to adequately tackle crime in the area.
"You say crime has gone up in the area, but I can confidently say that you people contribute to crime," Muniu said.
He added, "Whenever I take someone to court, you go and bribe for their freedom," he said. The remarks were met with jeers, and the situation nearly escalated before police calmed the crowd.
Dig deeper: As far as transferring an OCS is concerned, it involves a structured process which is governed by the National Police Service (NPS). This process is then overseen by the Inspector General of Police.
One of the factors which can trigger an OCS transfer is if there is a complaint over performance. If Ndaragua residents' claims are accurate, they have sufficient grounds to push for a transfer.
Complaints are typically tabled to the Sub-County Police Commander (SCPC), who then writes a report detailing all the issues submitted. The report is then escalated to the Regional Police Commander (RPC) or, in severe cases, the IG.
The IG, through the Directorate of Personnel at NPS headquarters, will then make the final decision on whether to transfer the officer or retain him with corrective directives.
