Kenya
About 2000 police officers in Kenya are mentally unfit to serve in the police service, Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai.
The IGP made this revelation on Tuesday during a meeting with bishops and senior clergy of the Anglican Church in Nairobi. According to him, the findings were established after medical examinations were conducted on police officers.
“We have subjected all the officers to medical examination, and to our surprise, we got a big number. We isolated almost 2,000 police officers who are unfit to do their law enforcement work,” said Mutyambai in a video by local TV station NTV.
The police IG however says a process to manage some of the mentally unstable officers, has started.
He highlighted the importance of having stable officers in the service, pointing out the high risk posed especially when the officers are in the custody of guns.
“ To remove someone from work (because of medical grounds) is not easy. The government has its processes,” he said.
“Our tool of work is the gun, and when one bullet is discharged, the implications are serious.”
Mutyambai's remarks come on the back of increased suicide and depression cases among law enforcers.
A task force was established in January to fight the rising mental health cases among police officers, which are indirectly affecting their performance.
The task force opened up channels of communication among the officers as part of ways of detecting any form of stress among them.
Go to video
Mozambique declares polio outbreak linked to Pakistan
Go to video
Senegal: police investigate possible homophobic mob attack
Go to video
Congo: Majority MP faces 30 years prison sentence
Go to video
Ghana police under fire for allegedly killing robbery suspect
Go to video
Eritrea's Girmay takes Giro leg in win for African cycling
Go to video
Algeria: Eleven migrants die in boat wreck while trying to reach Europe