Nairobi News

A  senior traffic police officer on Thursday told a panel vetting him that wananchi know he is an inspector by the “way I walk”.

Mr Washindo Mwalungo, the traffic boss in Suba, Homa Bay County, had been asked by the National Police Service Commission panel why he was performing the duties of an inspector yet his number showed he was a sergeant.

The apparently rude officer gave the panel a rough time after he insisted that he was an inspector despite not having a badge to indicate that.

“I have a letter of confirmation as an inspector but I have not been given a new number,” he told the team led by commissioner Ronald Musengi.

According to the panel, there are duties that a sergeant cannot perform. These include mounting of roadblocks and inspection of bars.

The team asked Mr Mwalungo what he would identify himself with to business owners if they asked him in what capacity he has to inspect their premises.

In response, the officer said he did not have to prove his position, adding that the letter in his possession is enough evidence.

“They should know you from the way you walk, isn’t it?” asked the panel. “Yes,” a bold Mr Mwalungo said loudly.

The officers threatened to throw him out of the vetting room if he continued to respond to questions rudely and carelessly.

M-PESA TRANSACTIONS

Commissioner Murshid Mohamed said: “Chairman, I don’t wish to continue interviewing this officer.”

“You come in with a chip on your shoulder and an attitude as big as this yet you don’t know which entity you are addressing? Do you know this vetting will consider if you will stay in the service or not?” he added.

Mr Mwalungo has been in the service for 31 years. He has served in the traffic department since 2014.

The panel was also informed that earlier, he spoke rudely to members of the secretariat, who had called him and requested his M-Pesa transactions.

The officer was also questioned about the money transfers made to his M-Pesa account by a Ms Hellen Murira and Mr John Mbaru. He said both were his neighbours in Meru and he had borrowed money from them for his transfers from Meru to Isiolo.

He also sent an unspecified amount to a woman identified as Ms Selah Munyoki. He defended the amounts, saying the woman was his tenant in Mombasa, where he owned two houses.

The panel, however, could not understand why the tenant received money, instead of her sending cash to the officer.

Regarding another transaction, the officer was put to task to explain why he had sent money to a man identified as Mr Ali Abdulrahim.

In response, the officer said the man was his neighbour who helped him construct a house.

DISCIPLINARY RECORD

“Then you should have described Abdulrahim as your contractor and not someone from home,” said a panellist.

“I am not a contractor, I am a policeman,” said Mr Mwalungo firmly.

“I am saying you paid this amount to your contractor,” insisted the panellist.

“He is not my contractor. This is a small building, and the one constructing it is not fit to be called a contractor,” said Mr Mwalungo.

“This man is assisting me to put up a small house. A contractor puts up a whole house or whatever,” said the officer, cutting short the panellist who wanted to intervene.

“Is that definition according to your dictionary?” said Mr Murshid.

“I don’t have a dictionary, by the way,” said the officer.

The officer denied having received any letter for disciplinary reasons, but records showed that he had been put to task for having been absent from duty without permission in 2002.

He claimed he had sought permission from the officer commanding station to attend the burial of his father, but was not allowed to leave on grounds that there was a shortage of officers on duty at the time.