- The NPS has embarked on an ambitious programme to sensitise all police officers on trauma healing and psychological wellbeing as they fulfil their mandate of providing safety and security in the country.
- A task force on mental health established in 2020 reveal that Kenya has a high burden of mental illness due to ill health and psychosocial disability.
Image: HANDOUT
At least 12,000 police officers are facing mental health challenges out of work-related issues.
The National Police Service Commission on Wednesday said their recent survey on mental status of police officers showed between 12 and 13 per cent of officers have mental issues.
There are 110,000 police officers in the country. NPSC chief executive Joseph Onyango said the figures are a reflection of the global trend.
“The mental cases out of the recent assessment is almost trending towards the figure of 12 to 13 per cent of the total population of the officers. It’s trending toward the global figures,” Onyango said.
He said they are focusing on dealing with the menace which is taking a toll on the officers’ performance and is on an increase.
Onyango spoke at a training for 60 senior Administration Police Service officers at the Chiromo Hospital Group in Nairobi.
The officers were being trained on how they can detect triggers of stress and mental wellness of their juniors.
Deputy Inspector General of Police of APS Noor Gabow said they are paying attention to the issue through various programmes so far rolled out.
He added that they have opened up channels of communication among the officers as part of ways of detecting any form of stress among them.
He also ordered police commanders to always be keen to detect any trigger that may lead to depression, stress or mental illness and act immediately.
He said the Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai had ordered that any mental illness-related case be attended to immediately.
“Check on triggers and act immediately. Bring him or her to hospital or allow him or her to seek medical services.”
Triggers include tough work, financial issues, marriage wrangles, transfers, working far from friends and exposure to stresses.
He added financial management is key in contributing to mental health of officers.
“A police officer is supposed to know everything which affects their status.”
There has been a spike of incidents involving police officers, including murder and suicide which have been linked to mental wellness of the officers.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
The commission has embarked on an ambitious programme to sensitise all police officers on trauma healing and psychological wellbeing as they fulfil their mandate of providing safety and security in the country.
The programme seeks to empower NPS officers at all levels, to enhance their sensitivity to issues of stress and trauma they routinely encounter in their professional and personal lives.
It also strives to create and hold safe spaces in police stations, offices, camps, colleges and communities.
The idea is enhance peer to peer support to feel safe enough and dignified to share their stories and experiences of stress, anguish and trauma in a confidential and non-judgemental environment.
The report is yet to be made public. Gabow said they have teamed up with the hospital and many others to attend to the cases.
The facility’s Dr Frank Njenga said police are facing the mental wellness challenges due to their nature of work.
“Police officers are normal people out in abnormal environments. They are out and on constant vigilance,” he said.
He added the officers don’t sleep, are exposed to daily tragedies and are in the frontline all the time.
Njenga added that the mental illness problem is affecting the entire society and decried the decimal financial allocation towards the challenge.
“We currently allocate 15 per cent towards the management of the menace but we are pushing a budget to ensure the money is increased to 250 per person per annum as required by the World Health Organisation.
Dr Njenga warned that the relapse rate was high, at 60 per cent, and there was need to offer psychosocial support to the recovering officers.
"Failure rates may be due to lack of aftercare. These officers need a lot of psychosocial support in the office, workplace and even within the family. Let us reach out to them," he said.
He urged the officers to be open, assuring them that the doctor-patient confidentiality clause did not allow them to discuss the details of treatment.
Onyango said the NPS will support officers, adding that in special cases, deployment and transfer of officers will consider such factors like the health of the officers.
A task force on mental health established in 2020 reveal that Kenya has a high burden of mental illness due to ill health, psychosocial disability and premature mortality with huge gaps in access to care.
The team found out that the majority of populations in Kenya associate mental health and mental illness with negative narratives leading to a low focus on the importance and benefits of mental health and wellbeing.
The team also recommended that mental illness be declared a national emergency of epidemic proportions, to prioritise mental health as a priority public health and socioeconomic agenda.
It recommended that mental health be provided with adequate financing in line with international best practice In Kenya. It is estimated that one in every 10 people suffer from a common mental disorder.
The number increases to one in every four people among patients attending routine outpatient services.
(edited by Amol Awuor)