Matiang’i Promises More Resources For Mental Health For Kenya Police And Prisons

NAIROBI,Kenya, Dec,7 – The Government will commit more resources to mental health and counselling in the Police and Prisons departments to help officers deal with stress and other personal challenges.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i said the officers, like other members of society, were susceptible to stressful work environment that has been compounded by the challenges of the Covid pandemic.

He said although preliminary investigations on the shooting of five people by a police officer who later turned the gun on himself in Kabete pointed to a possible love triangle as the likely trigger, detectives had been dispatched to the scene with a brief to conduct thorough investigations.

“The DCI and the Police Internal Affairs department are already on location. Within three days, we should be able to share with the public the findings from the investigations. We have nothing to hide,’ the CS said. 

Speaking at the Administration Police Training College, Embakasi during a memorial service for police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty Dr. Matiang’i said the Kabete incident pointed to deep-lying issues in the society. 

He expressed concerns with how the case and other cases of suspected mental health involving officers were being reported especially on social media and urged for sensitivity and compassion around the subject. 

“Why should people spread rumours to score points yet we have a grave issue we are dealing with? Why wake up in the morning spinning stories and insulting everyone? What kind of a society are we building? Some of the people doing this call themselves leaders and opinion shapers,” he said. 

The CS stated that mental health issues are not exclusive to police officers and called for collective efforts to tackle the underlying social pressures and support for the people in need of help.