Interior and National Administration CS nominee Kithure Kindiki has weighed in on the many cases of mental health affecting the police.
Speaking when he faced the National Assembly Committee on Appointments on Tuesday, Kindiki said the issues around mental illness in police service are linked to work-related stress.
Kindiki said if approved by the committee he will prioritize the wellness of police officers to make sure they have a conducive working environment.
"In this connection, if I'm approved by this honourable house, I intend to equip, expand and fully capitalize the wellness and counselling units, which I intend to link with the soon-to-be-established Kenya Police Service hospital and the Kenya Prison Service hospital," he said.
He said that the two projects which are at an advanced stage and should be operational within the next few months.
According to Kindiki, if the police unit gets functional hospitals where they can be seeking help, it will help in reducing suicide cases.
"If you have those hospitals in place and are well functioning, well equipped and a counselling unit, we will have been able to prevent cases of a psychiatrist nature that leads to mental illness and sometimes fatal accidents involving police officers and their families," he said.
"I believe these incidents are caused by low morale and poor working conditions of police officers."
Kindiki promised to be on the first line to fight for the well-being of the police officers as they offer critical services to Kenyans.
"I intend to vigorously fight for the affair and improved terms of service for police officers as well as prison officers because of the critical nature of the role they play in securing our country," he said.
