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