Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI), Mike Mugo, revealed that the captivating content he posted was inspired by his father’s collection of crime novels.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, March 1, Mike Mugo narrated how he was captivated by the characters of tough-talking detectives and ruthless crooks in the novels of author James Hadley Chase, spending a lot of time as a teenager reading them.
Mike Mugo, who had aspired to become a journalist, stated that his work was geared toward changing the reputation of the directorate, whose officers had for long been perceived as brutal and corrupt.
Moreover, he noted that the posts targeted young people in Nairobi and other cities and deemed it important to use language that the youth could relate to.
“The posts give us a human face in the eyes of the public. Our main targets are the audience who don’t have access to a newspaper, TV, or radio but have a smartphone where they can source news.
MUST READ: Lee Funeral Home Owner, John Lee Wealth And Business.
“We decided to speak and communicate in a language these people understand,” Mike Mugo explained.
He stated that when he did not achieve his goal of becoming a journalist and became an officer, he made the decision to be a cop with journalistic tendencies.
Giving examples of inspirations behind his posts, Mugo revealed that some were inspired by the literary works of Chinua Achebe, who used Igbo words and cultural references in his books.
“I do the same with English, Kikuyu, Swahili, and Sheng, in my posts so that our readers can relate to them,” the social media manager added.
Since its formation in 2021, the department had since brought on board additional members to track its progress on social media as well as an artist who produces cartoon versions of their hits.
The team has since amassed a following of up to 1.4 million on Twitter, from 650,000 when it began.
“Experience has taught us that nobody reads facts as written in the Occurrence Book,” added Mike Mugo
Earlier in February 2022, DCI unveiled its communications team which included Mwanajum Shame who authors the captivating statements in Kiswahili.
“People appreciate how we do it in Swahili. They even suggest that we translate all of our English posts into Swahili. We always decide which ones will be posted in one of the two languages,” Shame stated during a past interview.
Officer Jonah Kimani, who was also introduced to the public, is the officer behind the catchy and fiction-like narrations on crime when giving details on the security updates.
'Want to send us a story? Submit to NAIROBIminiBLOGGERS via our Email nairobiminiblogger@gmail.com'
Drop Your Comments, What do you think About The Article?