Police officer Hiram Kimathi has come out strongly against his recent transfer from Kyumbi Police Station to the remote and harsh Todonyang Police Station near the Kenya-Ethiopia border.
Known for speaking his mind, Kimathi did not hide his disappointment and used social media to question the reasoning behind the move. He pointed fingers at senior officials in the Ministry of Interior and the police service, accusing them of targeting him for expressing views that go against recent government directives.
His frustration comes shortly after President William Ruto made a controversial order during the recent wave of Saba Saba and Gen Z anniversary protests.
The President directed police officers to shoot in the legs of violent protesters who try to loot businesses or invade police stations. These protests had seen cases of looting, destruction of property, and even rape, causing widespread concern.
But Hiram Kimathi publicly rejected this order, saying it goes against the constitution. He warned fellow officers that if they obey such unlawful orders, they will be held individually responsible in court and no one in the government will come to their defense.
Following his bold statement, Kimathi was transferred to Todonyang, a region known for its poor infrastructure, insecurity, and extreme weather conditions.
In a strong response, Kimathi asked the decision-makers to first send their own children to Todonyang if they believe it is a fair and suitable place to work.
He argued that the lives and dignity of junior officers matter just as much as anyone else’s and accused the top brass of using transfers as a form of punishment.His message has attracted support from other police officers and members of the public, who believe the transfer is not just unfair but a form of intimidation meant to silence anyone who dares speak the truth.
Many agree that no officer should be sent to a hardship area just for expressing an honest opinion, especially when that opinion is rooted in the law and the Constitution. Kimathi has made it clear that he believes this transfer is directly connected to his defiance of the President’s orders, and he has gone as far as saying he may not report to his new station.
This situation has now raised wider questions about the misuse of authority within the police service, the conditions of hardship stations, and the level of protection junior officers receive when they choose to speak up.
Kimathi’s case is quickly turning into a test of how far freedom of speech and constitutional rights can go within the Kenyan police force.
