Police officers across all ranks have been banned from using social media as a platform for airing their grievances.
In a memo signed by Mwangi Wanderi of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), it is criminal for police officers to take to social media to speak about the challenges they undergo.
This comes at a time when majority of police officers have opted to take to social media to air their grievances.
“The Inspector General has noted with a lot of concern that officers have developed a habit of using social media to advance their grievances without exhausting the laid down channels which include quality assurance/complaint and gender offices at service headquarters and the internal affairs unit,” Wanderi said in the Memo.
Chapter 24 section 55 of the service standing orders prohibits information transmission by members of the service on social media unless they can clearly be linked to the conduct of official business.
According to Wanderi, it was an offence against discipline under section 6(w) chapter 30 of the standing orders to disclose or convey any information on police matters without proper authority.
“Sharing information with the media whether verbally or otherwise must be done in accordance with the regulations. Serious disciplinary action will be taken against any police officers found abusing the use of social media and sharing information with the press without authority,” he said.
He asked all the police bosses across all ranks to ensure that they tell their juniors about the details in the memo.
