Tanzanian police officers fired for kissing in public(Photo)

Fired for kissing

The two officers who were fired for kissing are
Veronica Mdeme and Asumba Mwasumbi,
while the third officer, Fadhiri Linga was fired
for taking the picture of the kissing act with
his phone and sharing it on social media.

When is it OK to kiss a colleague? Two
Tanzanian police officers, whose kiss was
widely shared on social media, have prompted
a discussion about just that – and both have
also lost their jobs.
A relationship with a colleague can throw up
any number of complications, but the two
young police officers in the picture may not
have thought it would end their careers. The
photograph – taken in Kagera, north west
Tanzania – shows the pair kissing whilst
dressed in their work uniforms, and was
considered grounds for dismissal. Residents of
the country have taken to social media to
voice their dismay.
The image was uploaded to the internet by a
third officer, who also took the photo, and
drawn to the attention of the authorities at
the Kagera police force. Henry Mwaibambe,
the regional police commander, spoke to the
BBC about the steps taken, and defends his
department’s decision. “We followed all
disciplinary procedures to make sure that they
were given a chance to defend themselves,” he
says. “The officer looking at the case was
convinced there was compelling evidence
against them, and that they had breached
police code of conduct. That’s why they lost
their jobs.” In this case it wasn’t the kiss itself
that led to their dismissal, but the fact that
that it happened in public, whilst in uniform,
and was subsequently posted online. Indeed,
the officer behind the camera also lost his job
over the incident.
The story was picked up by the local press
last week, and news of the punishment has
surprised many on social media. Most
believed the response was disproportionate.
“They should have been reprimanded, sacking
them is extreme, huuh!” posted one on
Facebook . “I once saw a pic of former US
President the late Reagan kissing his wife in
the Oval Office… and nobody called for his
impeachment,” said another. “Police couple
kissing taken more serious than bribery,”
wrote a third on Twitter.
Masoud George, a lawyer at the Tanzania
Legal and Human Rights Center says that as
severe as the punishment seems, the decision
is unlikely to be illegal. “It is according to
their code of conduct, so from a legal point of
view we can’t say their dismissal was unfair.”

Reporting by Sam Judah