- So far 27 counselors and 11 social workers have been recruited with the necessary skills and expertise to address the unique needs of police officers.
- As of June 2023, 5,879 police officers had been provided with counselling and psychosocial support through various interventions.
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A Member of Parliament wants the government to establish psychosocial units and formulation of programs and policies to promote the mental health and well-being of police officers.
Suna West MP Peter Masara has proposed to Parliament to amend the National Police Service Commission Act, 2011 to mainstream mental healthcare in the National Police Service, to make provisions for the mental wellness and well-being of police officers.
“Insertion of a new Section 12(A) to mandate the National Police Service Commission and the Inspector General to provide police officers with mental health and wellness resources in every region and establish well-equipped centres in offices, camps, training colleges and communities for police officers to receive psychosocial support,” reads the proposal.
He wants the commission to establish the centres in all counties.
NPSC has so far procured and operationalized toll-free lines where members of the NPS will be able to seek psychological support services from the comfort of their workstations anywhere in the country.
So far 27 counselors and 11 social workers have been recruited with the necessary skills and expertise to address the unique needs of police officers who have been deployed to various counties across the country.
As of June 2023, 25,879 police officers had been provided with counselling and psychosocial support through various interventions.
This includes individual counselling sessions, group counselling sessions and family counselling sessions, ensuring that officers receive personalized care based on their unique needs.
According to the proposal, the cost of acquiring a building for housing the psychosocial centre will be approximately Sh7 million per centre.
Equipping the centres with necessary facilities and resources will be approximately Sh3 million per centre while provision for operation and maintenance per centre will be 20 per cent of staff remuneration per year.
The centre shall employ and maintain six counsellors and social workers per centre with an approximate salary of Sh100,000 per month (inclusive of basic salary, pension contribution, insurance, medical cover, and other benefits).
The centre shall also employ and maintain four support staff with approximately Sh30,000 (inclusive of basic salary, pension contribution, insurance, medical cover, and other benefits).
Upon enactment of this Bill, the government will incur an additional expenditure of approximately Sh957 million in establishing the psychosocial centres.
When spread over three years, the cost will be approximately Sh319 million in the first year, Sh335 million in the second year and Sh352 million in the third year.
He argues when the psychosocial centre is housed within government buildings in counties, the government will incur an additional expenditure of approximately Sh628 million.
When spread over three years, the cost will be approximately Sh209 million in the first year, Sh220 million in the second year and Sh230 million in the third year.
Masara argued scenario two of establishing the centres will be in all 290 constituencies and the cost of acquiring a building for housing the psychosocial centre will be approximately Sh5 million per centre.
“Equipping the centres with necessary facilities and resources will be approximately Sh1 million per centre and the provision for operation and maintenance per centre will be 20 per cent of staff remuneration per year,” the proposal says.
The constituency centre shall employ and maintain three counsellors and social workers per centre with an approximate salary of Sh100,000 per month (inclusive of basic salary, pension contribution, insurance, medical cover, and other benefits).
The centre shall employ and maintain two (2) support staff. The cost per staff per month is approximately Sh30,000 (inclusive of basic salary, pension contribution, insurance, medical cover, and other benefits).
Upon enactment of the proposed bill, the government will incur an additional expenditure of approximately Sh3.24 billion in establishing the psychosocial centre. When spread over 3 years, the cost will be approximately Sh1.08 billion in the first year, Sh1.14 billion in the second year and Sh1.19 billion in the third year.
Provision of counselling services tailored to the unique challenges police officers experience can better help them cope with the stress, trauma, and other mental health issues they may experience, the MP says.
This not only improves their overall well-being but also enhances job satisfaction and performance, leading to a more effective and productive police force.
“Investing in mental health support for police officers strengthens the bond between law enforcement and the community.”
“Officers are better able to make wise decisions, defuse situations skilfully, and gain the public's trust when they are mentally strong and resilient. This in turn contributes to enhanced public safety and better community relations,” reads the proposal.
He feels implementing the proposal may elicit a similar demand from other offices, such as the Kenya prison services and nursing council which may have employees with mental health issues.
The proposal says police officers worldwide encounter work-related stress regularly, which ranges from handling responses to severely traumatic events like car accidents, homicides, and other violent and serious crimes.
These instances may harm workers' physical and mental health, frequently resulting in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide, the proposal says.
“More awareness on police seeking mental health needs to be created to eradicate stigmatization of officers seeking help.”
“There is a need to invest in police officers’ wellness to boost their morale since a demoralized workforce will not add value in the fight against crime,” the write-up adds.
According to the MP, police while discharging their mandate are faced with various challenges both physical and mental.
“Police officers are exposed to high-stress situations regularly, including crime scenes and violent operations while on duty," the proposal says.
The commission said stressors for police officers range widely and go far beyond the horrific events they experience while on the job.
“Their struggles with mental health are exacerbated by things like lengthy and erratic work hours, shift work, the need for constant vigilance, and difficulty in juggling personal and professional obligations,” the proposal says.
“Barriers for officers seeking assistance are further worsened by the tough police culture, which places a strong emphasis on emotional fortitude and independence.”
He added the NPSC has set up a centralized counselling centre at its Nairobi headquarters to handle the requirements of police officers in terms of mental health.
The facility is an essential link for officers who need mental health support and the commission is currently undertaking the decentralization of the counselling centres in 47 counties where it has managed to establish a centre in Mombasa and is actively working towards operationalizing offices in Garissa, Kakamega, Kisumu, and Nakuru.