Address mental health challenges in public service, Ruto told

President William Ruto and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen at the Embakasi Police Training College. [MINA]

President William Ruto has been challenged to invest in addressing mental health challenges in the public service including disciplined forces.

The plea was made by Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen during the pass out of Administration Police graduates at the Embakasi Police Training College on Friday.

“Public servants are struggling with mental health, officers are struggling with mental health and the National Police Service requested that we put more emphasis on the mental health challenges,” said the CS.

He told police officers to speak up about their challenges calling on senior officers including station commanders to be more courteous when engaging their juniors and understand the, when they have mental health challenges.

“It is not necessary to hear that a police officer has committed suicide or killed his family members or their colleagues because they were struggling with mental health and we ignored let us be each other’s keeper.”

In his speech the President said that the government was strengthening healthcare through the Usalama Cover under the Social Health Authority.

He added that his administration had embarked on a number of reforms as recommended by the National Taskforce on Police Reforms chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga.

“The objective is clear: to build a Police Service that is professional, properly equipped, adequately supported, technologically capable and accountable to the people it serves,” said Ruto.

He said that the reforms were being implemented through the entire policing system from salaries, welfare and housing to training, equipment, technology, infrastructure and institutional capacity.

“Since 2022, the National Police Service has built 252 police stations, recruited and trained 10,000 officers, and provided further professional training to more than 31,000 serving officers,” he said.

He said that the National Police Service Referral Hospital at Mbagathi was complete while the National Forensic Laboratory, which was launched by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, was getting equipped to enhance crime investigations.

“Together, these measures are strengthening the welfare of our officers, modernising policing and improving the quality of service to the public.”

While defending the launch of new uniforms for general duty officers, Ruto said that it was part of reform program.

“It is not a stand-alone intervention, but part of the comprehensive transformation of the National Police Service arising from the reform process.”

He said that while uniforms cannot transform policing, officers must build a modern and effective service through pride and professional identity.

On the Sh2.3 billion uniform tender, Ruto said that since the uniforms were being purchased using public resources the government welcomes scrutiny of its decisions and money spent since it is a constitutional right.

“We must demand answers without prejudice, question decisions without condemning people unheard, and expose wrongdoing wherever it exists. Honest scrutiny strengthens institutions, safeguards public resources and serves the public interest.”