The government has said plans are underway to establish an Endowment Fund to support families of police officers who die in the line of duty.
Speaking on Thursday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said that he has already received the policy guidelines for the operationalization of the Fund, which will be managed by the beneficiaries themselves.
Kindiki also said plans are underway to absorb qualified widows and widowers of departed officers into the public service to alleviate bereaved families’ financial burden.
The Interior CS was speaking during the National Commemorative Service for the fallen heroes and heroines in the National Police Service and the Kenya Prisons.
The event which is observed annually was held at the National Police Training College, Embakasi.
During the service, Kindiki revealed that a total of 37 officers died in the line of duty within the past year.
The officers, he said, were killed between November 22, 2022, and November 23, 2023.
Among them were 24 from the Kenya Police Service, 10 from the Administration Police Service, two from the Kenya Prisons Service and one from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Endowment funds are resources invested to utilize the accrued earnings for grants to development projects over both short and long-term periods.
In the case of the fallen officers, the funds will be used to support their families for responsibilities such as payment of school fees, rent or offsetting outstanding loans.
Whilst plans for the establishment of such a fund for officers in the NPS and Kenya Prisons are still in the pipeline, dependents of officers in the Kenya Defence Forces enjoy the benefits upon their benefactor's death.
On October 4 this year, Defence CS Aden Duale revealed that payment is usually released within 30 days of the officer’s death.
While responding to questions raised by Senators, Duale said families of KDF officers who die while serving in the country receive Sh4 million while those serving in peace missions outside the country get an additional Sh7.4 million bringing total compensation to Sh11.4 million.
This amount, he said, is in addition to the deceased officer’s pension.
"This is nothing to hide so I will say what we give immediately within 30 days," the CS said.
The CS said besides the monetary reprisal, families of fallen officers also receive counselling and psychological support to help them cope with loss and grief.
The state also supports KDF widows through empowerment initiatives and reskilling programmes through financial literacy and creating awareness about available financing opportunities for them, orphans, and other dependents.
