A Nairobi court has blocked police authorities from using staff relocations as punishment following a complaint from an officer transferred three times in rapid succession. Justice Mathews Nduma determined that Corporal Martin Paul Geoffrey experienced harassment through excessive redeployments that disrupted his family and violated service regulations requiring a minimum one-year postings.
Geoffrey traced his difficulties to a 2016 criminal accusation by a colleague that resulted in acquittal, after which he faced repeated moves from Mandera to Kiambu locations before securing placement at DCI Headquarters through competitive selection. Authorities attempted another relocation just three months into his anti-abductions role, prompting his legal challenge that proceeded without opposition from police leadership.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court declared the transfer unconstitutional and ordered Geoffrey to remain at headquarters while directing the National Police Service to cover legal expenses. Nduma emphasized that disciplinary matters require proper procedures rather than administrative disguises, noting that constitutional protections extend to uniformed personnel despite hierarchical command structures.
Geoffrey traced his difficulties to a 2016 criminal accusation by a colleague that resulted in acquittal, after which he faced repeated moves from Mandera to Kiambu locations before securing placement at DCI Headquarters through competitive selection. Authorities attempted another relocation just three months into his anti-abductions role, prompting his legal challenge that proceeded without opposition from police leadership.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court declared the transfer unconstitutional and ordered Geoffrey to remain at headquarters while directing the National Police Service to cover legal expenses. Nduma emphasized that disciplinary matters require proper procedures rather than administrative disguises, noting that constitutional protections extend to uniformed personnel despite hierarchical command structures.
