Many of us can only imagine how hard it is to be a police officer in the United States.
But what if you had to be a police officer in a war-torn country like Africa?
Many would turn their back and say, “No way!”
But, in Kenya, there is one police officer who takes only one weapon into battle every day – his Bible.
William Sifuna is the chief inspector of Maralal in Samuru County and is changing the way people see the role of law enforcement.
Sifuna is using his faith in Jesus Christ with his role in law enforcement to reverse the crime rate in his area. And to the surprise of many, it’s been showing remarkable results.
William decided to start holding the criminals in his area accountable in a new way.
Instead of beating them and/or locking them up, he started using a Biblical tactic.
Many of the crimes in his area have to do with livestock theft. So to combat this, Sifuna demands the thief must return what he stole. He must then ask for forgiveness from the rightful owners and promise to never steal again.
Now, if William stopped there, the crimes would most likely continue without missing a beat, but he goes far further than his call of duty.
He sits these men down and together they come up with a plan on how to change their lives.
That’s right.
This officer of the law actually treats convicted criminals with an amount of respect that many would not have even considered.
He realizes that everybody makes mistakes, but also realizes that there are those who don’t know how to turn those mistakes around, so he does his best to help them.
And Sifuna also realizes that none of these changes are possible without God.
“To tackle crime, we need God. We cannot do this by ourselves. We need God’s intervention in everything that we are doing as the police force.”
And Sifuna does all of this while sharing the Word of God.
“Before I lock them up, I take an opportunity to preach to them or counsel them,” he said. “And when they step out of the cold cells, most of them confess and turn away from crime.”
And what, you may ask, does Sifuna do when he is not policing the streets of Maralal with Bible in tow?
Well, it turns out that being a chief inspector is not his only job.
He also has an accreditation, approved by the high court, as a mediator and is a regular preacher at Elshadai Restoration Ministries.
Sifuna added that mediating can help solve whatever conflict is going on before it results in crime. He sometimes even brings in family members to help with the mediation.
Yes, William Sifuna is certainly a busy man with everything he does, but there is yet another ministry that he leads: a shelter for violated and abused children.
“Most of the children, especially those who were defiled, were not safe at all to go back to the same places where the offenses happened, and I thought for those who the court felt were not safe could be provided with an alternative place as the case proceeded,” he explained.
Imagine the change this world would have if we did everything using Biblical principles.
This man is more proof that God’s way is the right way.
It’s also proof that just one person can change the world around them—that Jesus can use just one person to change countless lives for the better.
So, what needs to change in your community?
Open your heart to Jesus and ask Him to show you how to change your surroundings for the better and how to love those around you enough to go out and shine His light on them.
You may just change a life.