Nairobi – Activist Boniface Mwangi has defended police officers over claims they are corrupt.
Activist Boniface Mwangi
Activist Boniface Mwangi, during a consultative meeting with senior police officers on corruption prevention in the service. Photo: Boniface Mwangi. Source: Facebook
Mwangi said police are not corrupt by choice, but the nature of their work has pushed them to partake in the vice.
The activist claimed that police officers are poorly paid, housed in dilapidated structures, and overworked.
“You cannot change the police service if you do not change the terms of service. We must take care of them. Before you talk about corruption, they are not corrupt by choice. We pay officers peanuts. They work in dilapidated police stations. Let’s talk about their welfare,” Mwangi said.
He asked the National Police Service and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to prioritise what is critical for the police before introducing other things.
“I have heard IPOA, and the police service say you need cameras and new uniforms. That is applying lipstick to a cop. The police service is rotten, and that needs to change. How do we change that? The police service needs a union, and the national police service is not a union. They need a union to fight for them because they are overworked,” the activist said.
He asked the police service to provide counselling services to the officers because they are the first responders in every situation but are left to plunge into depression.
Mwangi also proposed that police officers should be be given allowances when they do a good job.
By TUKO