Before the body of constable Paul
Wagathari was found hanging from
a window grill at Sosiot police station in Belgut, Kericho county, he
had been experiencing anxiety attacks.
His colleagues thought he was
playing a game. They did not know
he was battling depression and
needed immediate care.
He was found dead on March
16 morning, minutes after he had
hanged himself using a shoelace.
Wagathari left his house past midnight and walked to the station’s
radio room where he met his two
colleagues and told them some people were chasing him.
They stayed
with him for five hours until 7 am,
when they stepped out to hoist the
flag.
On coming back, they found
his body hanging from the window
grill.
Wagathari’s case is among many
being reported in the service in a
worrying trend.
Officials say the rate of depression in the service is worrying and it
needs special attention.
At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded
every month, officials say.
They attribute the trend to depression due
to work-related issues.
Officials said they have buried
many colleagues who died due to
depression.
This is also happening
in other services, including the Prisons department, officials said.
Former Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai had in 2022
said 2,000 police officers were mentally unfit to serve.
Insiders say nothing much is being done to address the problem.
Mutyambai said the findings were
established after medical examinations were conducted on police officers.
“We have subjected all the officers to medical examination, and to
our surprise, we got a big number.
We isolated almost 2,000 police officers who are unfit to do their law
enforcement work,” he said.
Mutyambai said it was important
to have stable officers in the service,
pointing out the high risk posed, especially when the officers are carrying guns.
“The police service has started
the process of managing some of
them. To remove someone from
work [because of medical grounds]
is not easy. The government has its processes,” he said.
“Our tool of
work is the gun and when one bullet
is discharged, the implications are
serious.”
Mutyambai’s remarks came
against the backdrop of increased
suicide and depression cases among
law enforcers.
The triggers identified range from
financial issues, tough work, marital problems, transfer, working far
from friends and exposure to stress.
A task force was established to
combat the rising mental health cases.
The task force opened up channels of communication among the
officers, as one way to detect and
manage stress.
Police commanders were also directed to be keen to detect triggers
that may lead to depression, stress
or mental illness and act immediately.
The programme seeks to empower police officers at all levels to enhance their sensitivity to issues of
stress and trauma they routinely
encounter in their professional and
personal lives.
Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja said depression affects all
people regardless of age or social
status, but police officers report
higher levels of depression and
post-traumatic stress disorder than
the general population.
He said the nature of police work
as shown by research globally, is
also demanding and stressful.
While all people are vulnerable
to some level of mental illness, the
vulnerability of police officers to
mental illness is escalated by unique
factors, Kanja said.
He said police officers are constantly handling traumatic and
disturbing scenes of crime and accidents that often leave them with
long-term mental and psychological
trauma.
“Consequently, police officers
worldwide tend to commit suicide
more than the general public,” Kanja said.
He said they are now seeing an increasing trend among the youth and
children engaging in substance use
and drug abuse, and police officers
have not been spared despite being
law enforcers.
Unfortunately, Kanja said, most
law enforcement officers shy away
from seeking mental health assistance, which delays possible interventions in their situations.
Kanja said due to these realities
and the prevalent challenges, mental
health remains a pertinent issue in
the country, and of particular concern to the National Police Service.
To deal with mental illness, the
National Police Service has been
undertaking deliberate measures
by adopting a multi-pronged approach, he said.
Kanja said stigmatisation that
comes with mental illness is still a
hurdle that Kenyans should strive to
overcome.
“This calls for continuously
creating awareness about mental
health and mental illness among
the members of public and most importantly, police officers,” he told a
gathering in Nairobi.
Kanja said misconceptions, stereotypes and negative perceptions
surrounding mental health should
be addressed to create an environment where individuals feel comfortable to seek help and support
without fear of discrimination.
He said they have established the
Directorate of Chaplaincy, Counselling and Psychosocial Support to
help police officers.
Through partnership with medical institutions and provision of
medical cover, police officers have
access to psychosocial support.
Officials say police are generally
on the receiving end of all community problems.
They are expected to maintain
law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at
risk.
Over the years, a spike in deaths
in the service has been linked to
trauma. They include deaths by gun.
