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{
    "id": 1243530,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1243530/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 207,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mumma",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for granting me this opportunity to contribute to Sen. Kibwana's Motion on the need to pay attention and do something about the mental health of police officers in Kenya. There is need for the Government to take the matter of mental health in this country seriously. We have very few such facilities. In fact, possibly only one facility in this country that deals with mental health and yet, mental health is a serious issue, not just among the police officers. It is an emerging serious issue among young people. Death by suicide is a going concern among our youth and children. However, we do not have programmes that can mitigate mental health in this country. Mental health has been a stigmatized programme globally. However, in the recent years, most countries are taking on mental health as a serious issue. The issue is becoming de-stigmatized. Many countries are investing more resources in mental health. We must invest in mental health as a beginning point, not just for the police officers, but also as a national programme that is of importance to this country. We will only be able to deliver on mental health if we invest in the necessary professions to enable us take care of those who have mental health concerns. We need to invest and give scholarships to those in medical schools. For instance, scholarships should be given to those who train in clinical psychology and psychiatry. We need to start utilizing our psychologists and psychosocial support counsellors who we have in this country, but are underutilized. The only department that I know of that has absorbed very few of these may be the children’s department and we have a drop within our hospitals."
}