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{
    "id": 1243519,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1243519/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 196,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "arresting each and everybody. I also believe they have poor working conditions. Most of the police officers live in tin houses where they share a room separated by a bed sheet. When it comes to the God-given assignment of the night, you can imagine there is a single police officer on the other side of the bed sheet and the newly married officers on the other side. We have heard cases where when the newly married police officers are on night patrol, the single officers might be on night patrol on the beds of these newly married officers. This is what is causing people to have mental health issues. We need to create police officers who have pride in protecting the country and maintaining law and order. Honestly, we, as a country, must have these conversations. We have seen police officers who have guns go to drink and because of differences in their relationship they end up--- It boils down to the depression and the mental wellness of the police. I implore that we also improve their housing. I am happy that the President is pushing on the Housing Levy Fund. I sympathized and empathized with my brother Sen. (Dr) Khalwale over the weekend during a funeral function. I thank him for standing with the Government agenda. Some people seem to misunderstand this. We need this Housing Levy Fund. There is need for every police officer to have a nice house and enjoy their privacy. I hope at the end of this Motion, Sen. Kibwana and the national security team will visit some of these police stations. Let them look at where these police officers live. We need to implement the Housing Levy Fund. The President has requested for 3 per cent of an individual’s basic salary or Kshs2500 at maximum for people who earn more. I do not see why MPs who are in this House are opposing the Housing Levy Fund yet we are entitled to Kshs36 million on house mortgage, Kshs7 million car grant and Kshs7 million car loan. We earn almost Kshs1 million or more, including mileage allowances. I do not find any reason why we should not even surrender Kshs2500 and allow the Government to build affordable housing for our police officers. The biggest challenge in the police service apart from salaries is the housing issue. They have families and children. Therefore, they need their privacy. How can we achieve that without having affordable housing? I know Sen. Okiya Omtatah has said that he has drafted a petition that will likely move to court. I am happy he is in the House. I hope he will use the Floor of the House to tell the country why the police should not have affordable housing. I have seen a misnomer where people are saying that they have their own houses. However, they are not telling the country that 6.5 million Kenyans live in slums under pathetic conditions undermining Article 43 of the Constitution on the right to basics like food, shelter and housing. Finally, many police stations established gender desks. We need to establish a mental health programme. The first responders in any emergency, including fire, shooting, and floods are police officers. When someone dies in an accident, the people who come to the scene to cover them and carry them on the police vehicles are the police officers. They are human beings. They see blood and deaths on the road and they are first-line officers. Therefore, as human beings, they are also traumatized."
}