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{
    "id": 1522461,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522461/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 237,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Migori County, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Fatuma Mohammed",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " I thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for the opportunity you have given me. I would like to add my voice on the National Police Service Commission (Amendment) Bill. I support it in totality. It is a Bill that I am very sure every Kenyan would be positive about. The police service has suffered a lot. This kind of treatment would be good for them, considering that our police go through a lot. For example, there is no family connection in the police service. A police officer is transferred every single day. In the process, they lose connection with their parental and marital families. It is very important to take care of their well-being so that they know how to cope with such situations. The NPS needs assistance with financial management. We agree that their salaries are not adequate. Some join the service when they are very young and unable to take care of their financial needs. They end up with loans that they are unable to service. Social well-being will be important for them because a lot of challenges will be taken care of. We all agree that police officers go through trauma either directly or indirectly. In a situation where a colleague is shot dead next to you, you have to carry him or her. They have hard hearts, but their hearts are also soft. They go through stress. When an officer lose colleagues, they may think the next day it will be them dying. This tortures them directly or indirectly. If this centre is established, such problems will be taken care of, but not solved completely. Some Kenyans also bring down the self-esteem of police officers. There are situations where one uses mind-altering substances like alcohol or drugs and when the police come to arrest them, they throw words that lower their self-esteem. In such a scenario, a police officer might end up using a gun to finish you for lowering their self-esteem. When officers encounter such challenges, they can turn to the centres to take care of them by talking to them and understanding the situation they are in. What happened at the Westgate Mall, Dusit D2 Complex and Kapedo are living examples. Police officers who were at these areas during the incidents were never taken care of. There are scenarios where police officers shoot colleagues in circumstances that cannot be explained. In most cases, it is because of the trauma, stress and depression they go through. Nobody understands them. When a small argument ensues, a police officer ends up using the nearest weapon which is a gun. Our police officers get injured during service, but they do not have the means to manage, recover and return to work. They may lose a leg, eye or other parts of the body. When they go to a doctor, they are treated, but no extra service is given. When they realise they have one hand and can no longer hold their gun, they get into depression. They chose the job to defend the people and their country, but unfortunately, they can no longer serve. This sends them into serious depression, which piles up and trickles down to their families. I know finances are inadequate, but we should provide the centres in every polling station instead of the county level. Alternatively, we can try and put up centres at the constituency level and later move downwards to the sub-county level. It might be difficult for a police officer who works in Nyatike, where I come from, to go to Migori where such services are provided. That alone The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}