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{
"id": 1522432,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522432/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Eldas, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Adan Keynan",
"speaker": {
"id": 41,
"legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
"slug": "adan-keynan"
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"content": "can have an accountable, resilient and ever-ready police service. We removed them from the ambit of the big giant called Office of the President, so that they can have their own accountable system to take care of their day-to-day activities. Once this Bill is passed, and I hope it will go through, it is expected to curb incidences of misconduct, promote ethical policing and rebuild public trust in the law enforcement agency. It is a critical component that the public has faith in our police service. The public must appreciate the work of police officers. That will only happen if there is understanding. The public must have adequate information as to what it entails to be a police officer. Police officers must also appreciate what they are expected to do. That is what it means to have an accountable, professionally run, well-funded and grounded police service that meets the test of our constitutional requirement. The Bill also provides for professional development and capacity building, which means continuous education. To enhance competency and effectiveness of a police officer, the Bill emphasises continuous professional development through regular training, skill enhancement programmes and leadership development initiatives. This is one of the benchmarks of individual capacity building. Every profession requires continuous training. The other bit is the strengthening of community policing. In a bid to foster harmonious relations between law enforcement and the public, the Bill advocates for community policing as a proactive strategy. This proactive engagement between the police officers and the local community will create a culture of trust, cooperation and problem-solving. In this world bedevilled with challenges like criminal activities, cybercrimes and many other issues, we need cooperation between the public and the police. There must be an avenue, and that avenue is this Bill. It is an accepted, law-centred, law-driven and law-placed mechanism that this Bill attempts to provide. This will enable the police officer to function as expected. This Bill also represents a significant step forward in reforming the Kenya policing framework by enhancing the police officer welfare, professionalising law enforcement and strengthening community partnership. This is the Nyumba Kumi Initiative, which is an administrative mechanism. Once this Bill is passed, it will be anchored in law. This is critical and, therefore, what we expect. Luckily, in our Constitution, there is something called public participation. The framers of the current Constitution were neither naive nor feeble. They thought outside the box and recognised the need to engage the public. It is two-way. The police officer, as part of the Kenyan society and the law enforcement community, is expected to understand and appreciate the ecosystem in which they operate. That ecosystem is unique. It is filled with criminals and law-abiding citizens, and there is also public expectation of what the police officer is supposed to do. That notwithstanding, there are a number of things that we must also take into account because it is one thing to legislate. The issue of funding and resource allocation, as I have alluded to, must be addressed comprehensively. We can legislate, and we have legislated in the past, but this must come with a proactive and practical funding programme, for this Bill to have a meaning. Once we talk about the stakeholders involved, this bit must also be collectively approached through public education. We must also look at conflict resolution between the public and the police. Finally, as part of our police diplomacy, our police officers are right now in Haiti. This country has prided itself on providing some of the best police officers. As we approach the 2025/2026 Budget, I beseech my colleagues to reallocate funding from other sectors…"
},
{
"id": 1522433,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522433/?format=api",
"text_counter": 209,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "The Temporary Speak",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "er (Hon. Omboko Milemba): Very well. You have done well, ranking Member. Let us allow other Members to also contribute. Great speak. Hon. Catherine Wambilianga and then Hon. Nyamai. 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."
},
{
"id": 1522434,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522434/?format=api",
"text_counter": 210,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Bungoma County, FORD-K",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Catherine Wambilianga",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to weigh in on this Bill that seeks to improve the wellness and welfare of police officers. It is common sense and we can see that our police officers are not living a good life. Despite this, it is unfortunate that we have not addressed their challenges, particularly as key leaders in this country. These are people who have taken good care of us, helping us whenever we have issues. We call them to maintain order when we have matters in our villages and homes, yet their welfare and wellness have not been taken care of. I support Hon. Masara who brought this Bill. Policemen go through a lot, especially in matters mental illness. Most of them find themselves in a corner, especially when faced with situations. They have nobody to go to, yet it is us, the public and legislators, who should help them. Our police officers have gone through very difficult situations. For example, when there is an accident on the road, they are faced with a very difficult situation. They are the ones we call to remove the bodies. When there is drowning, we call them to remove the bodies for us. But at the end of the day, nobody seeks to sit down and counsel them. They get back to their homes with their normal problems, which even emanate from the poor salaries that they get. With such situations, a police officer goes home to meet his family while they are very stressed, such that whenever there are any issues, they sometimes result into causes of suicide. This is something that us as legislators, should look at. I support the fact that they have established a wellness centre that will care for them. When I was young, I had a brother who was a police officer. We could visit him, but the conditions under which they lived were terrible. The Government has tried to improve on that, but it is still not good enough. They still share beds and houses, and so much has happened. These are our own children whom we have educated and we expect them to also have good lives. When they get home, they also need to have peace that everybody else gets. In our opinion, officers are only verified. Nobody respects them because we imagine these are just officers who should take care of us. However, as legislators, we should look at their welfare and see what we can put in place to cushion them from a number of issues. The fact that we are also seeking to establish wellness centres in counties, I feel that the Government should allocate enough resources. In support of the previous speaker, Hon. Keynan, we should reallocate some funds from other ministries and put into the police officers’ welfare. This will enable them to have centres where they can go and get reprieve. I support this Bill and hope that its implementation will follow. We pass Bills here in Parliament, but implementation becomes a problem. Once we pass this Bill, we believe the Government will take it up and ensure it is implemented."
},
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"id": 1522435,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522435/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "The Temporary Speak",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "er (Hon. Omboko Milemba): The Member for Kitui South, Hon. Rachael Nyamai."
},
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"id": 1522436,
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"text_counter": 212,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui South, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Rachael Nyamai",
"speaker": {
"id": 13374,
"legal_name": "Richard Ken Chonga Kiti",
"slug": "richard-ken-chonga-kiti"
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"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity to support this very important Bill by Hon. Masara. This Bill seeks to enhance the work done by the National Police Service and the Inspector-General, in order to provide better working conditions for our police officers. I start by appreciating the contributions of Hon. Keynan and Hon. Farah Maalim for clarifying the importance of this Bill. These police officers, who take care of everyone from the President to our own villages, are not just officers. They are our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends. They have offered themselves to go to the most dangerous places and to work at night when people are asleep. For example, in my constituency, police officers working in Ikutha and Mutomo go to Mutha and all the way to the border, a place called Konekaliti. They go to places without chiefs or assistant chiefs, yet people have occupied there, and we expect them to give us the best. 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."
},
{
"id": 1522437,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522437/?format=api",
"text_counter": 213,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui South, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Rachael Nyamai",
"speaker": {
"id": 13374,
"legal_name": "Richard Ken Chonga Kiti",
"slug": "richard-ken-chonga-kiti"
},
"content": "With that background, we must ensure that their mental health is taken care of. These police officers are the ones who collect bodies of people who have disagreed in their homesteads, fought and killed each other. The police officer will be the first to come and collect those bodies. When there is a road accident, they are also the ones who collect those bodies. Maybe, they do not get after-service counselling to get those bad images off their minds. They do it every other day. The police officers are exposed to the collection of bodies all over the country, picking bodies that have decomposed and delivering them to mortuaries. We need to make sure that we pass this Bill by Hon. Masara to ensure that we provide the funding that is needed. We have a very good National Police Service Commission and wonderful officers like the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kanja, and Mr Masengeli. However, what can they do without proper funding? I support this Bill that will ensure that our police officers… Please give me a minute, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
},
{
"id": 1522438,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522438/?format=api",
"text_counter": 214,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Omboko Milemba",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13328,
"legal_name": "Jeremiah Omboko Milemba",
"slug": "jeremiah-omboko-milemba"
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"content": " Please add the Member two minutes."
},
{
"id": 1522439,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522439/?format=api",
"text_counter": 215,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui South, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Rachael Nyamai",
"speaker": {
"id": 13374,
"legal_name": "Richard Ken Chonga Kiti",
"slug": "richard-ken-chonga-kiti"
},
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. In the interest of time, we need to provide money for the police officers. We need to ensure that the camps are properly equipped not only with the equipment that is required for relaxation, but also the human resource that is needed to give them the training that they need. We should also ensure that there is a proper link between the police officers and community. I hope that beyond this Bill, we can even have an open day for our police officers within our sub-counties and counties where they make use of the money. We hope it will not only be provided for by the Budget and Appropriations Committee, but also, we would like a budget line to be provided so that we can support them and ensure that money is provided for them. I would also like to see a situation where their retirement is properly planned. They should not be worried because they work in far-flung places, and when they come home, they are not even sure of their benefits. When we take care of the police officers, we will ensure that their families and children are taken care of and the community's well-being is good. I would like to give an example of a young man from my constituency who lost his job. I have written back and forth letters to the Inspector-General of Police. He was serving as a police officer, and went back home and found that his wife was not at home, and his family had disintegrated. Because of that, he started drinking. I believe that what happened to him was not fair because this is a sick man who is drinking alcohol out of frustrations. We need to be careful with disciplining police officers which I can see is part of this Bill. They should not be punished so harshly, without establishing the reason they have become indisciplined. We need to look at the issue of police officers who drink alcohol. Some of them do it because of a situation that they find themselves in. I support this Bill fully. I hope it will be passed by this House, so that we can provide the camps that are needed and take care of the mental health of our police officers. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute."
},
{
"id": 1522440,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522440/?format=api",
"text_counter": 216,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Omboko Milemba",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13328,
"legal_name": "Jeremiah Omboko Milemba",
"slug": "jeremiah-omboko-milemba"
},
"content": " Very well. The Vice-Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs, Hon. Dido Raso."
},
{
"id": 1522441,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1522441/?format=api",
"text_counter": 217,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to add my voice to this very important Bill by Hon. Masara. Police officers are first responders who are responsible for law enforcement and public safety. They also provide emergency services by responding to calls and investigating crimes. They patrol areas to detect and prevent crime. They are expected to write an incident report at the end of the day. As Members of this House, legislators and leaders in this country, if there is a profession that we have given a raw deal in this land, it is our men and women in blue; police officers. 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."
}
]
}