Give more thought to the welfare of police officers

The glaring neglect of the well-being of policewomen, featured elsewhere in this newspaper, once again highlights an intractable problem that the government either seems unwilling or unable to address.

Failure to pay attention to police welfare has, over the years, been identified as a key contributor to low morale, and other vices like corruption that have sullied the image of the security agencies. It has sometimes seemed as though being a police officer is a punishment rather than a patriotic opportunity to protect life and property.

The 2010 Constitution, which created the National Police Service, was considered the harbinger of reform.

But it appears that while strides have been made in the appointment of the Inspector-General and the creation of bodies such as the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and the Independent Police Oversight Authority, not much has been done to make the lives of officers more bearable as they go about their duties.

Decent housing, medical cover, suitable equipment and various payments remain challenges that have not been properly handled.

Part of the problem can be blamed on low investment and systemic rot, but there is also an element of corruption in this sad narrative. Senior police officers and other influential government officials have, for example, been accused of being allocated houses they do not need at the expense of those in lower ranks

Yet improving police welfare is even more important at this time when the country is grappling with security challenges, including terror attacks by Al-Shabaab. There is also increased violence at the Coast, where attacks have left nearly 100 people dead in the last few weeks.

Lives at risk

But in Lamu and Tana River counties, for example, where the security personnel are putting their lives at risk as they pursue well-armed militias, there are grumbles over unpaid allowances.

And even as the Jubilee administration says more police officers will be graduating to enhance security, little is mentioned about where they will be housed. Indeed, recent reports of fresh graduates being abandoned in the cold or forced to share already crowded houses with other officers should be cause for concern.

But if policemen seem to be suffering from such neglect, the plight of policewomen is even worse in a system that ignores their distinctive needs. 

It is our hope that the Jubilee Government and NPSC will give priority to police welfare within the broad security sector reforms.