DCP Leader Rigathi Gachagua has told off Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over his declaration that all officers who sing ‘Wantam’ or refer to President William Ruto as ‘Kasongo’ should be dismissed from the National Police Service.
Speaking while opening DCP Party offices on Saturday, August 15, Gachagua argued that Murkomen would have to sack almost the entire police force.
He claimed that the police force was against the Ruto administration and was demoralised. The DCP Leader stated that one of the major issues is the alleged ethnicisation of the National Police Service
“I heard Murkomen saying that all officers who subscribe to ‘Wantam’ and all those calling Ruto ‘Kasongo’ will be fired. Murkomen, you will have to fire 95 per cent of the police service.
“All police officers are ‘Wantam’. They all want Kasongo to go, and they have a reason. One of them is that you have ethnicised the command of the National Police Service because one community is commanding them,” Gachagua claimed.
The former Deputy President alluded that most of the aforementioned commanders were drunk with power and issued commands that violated the officers’ oath of office.
He added that most officers were not happy because they had been forced to work with and even protect goons.
“Two, the police officers are unhappy because they are being forced to work with goons, which is against their oath of office. Lastly, they are unhappy that, against their training, they are being forced to harm and kill Kenyans,” he stated.
Gachagua further claimed that the NPS officers were demoralised under the current regime because they allegedly received a salary increment of only Ksh570 despite being promised better pay.
He added that the decision to move them to a new medical insurance service provider, yet their previous one was working efficiently, had also demotivated the law enforcement officers.
The ex-DP claimed that some officers had reached out to him to complain that they did not have enough equipment to execute their duty.
His sentiment came after Murkomen made the declaration that all civil servants, not just the police, must keep their personal opinions to themselves when serving in or for the government.
“If we find a police officer insulting the President by calling him Kasongo or singing ‘Wantam’, and singing political slogans, yet they want to serve the government of the day, that police officer or civil servant should be fired immediately.
“I am not saying this because of the current government, but also the previous and the one to come. If you choose to serve in public service, you cannot participate in campaigns or slogans; yours is to understand the government and implement its policies,” he stated.