This archive report was first published on 26 October 2021.
Published on October 26, 2021, a growing concern among police officers in Kenya has led to their wives forming a support network to help them cope with the stresses of their job.
The National Police Wives Welfare Association (Napowa) was registered in 2015, but it wasn't until last year that the group began to take action to combat the increasing psycho-social challenges among police officers.
Napowa chairperson Sofia Ng'ikol explained that the association's goal is to reduce the stress experienced by police officers, enabling them to handle issues more soberly.
“Every time our husbands face challenges, either at home or on duty, they take their lives. Our aim is to reduce the stress they experience so they can handle issues soberly,” Mrs Ng'ikol said.
The initiative involves offering counselling services to police officers who feel depressed or affected in any manner, as well as engaging the wives of the officers in business activities.
Dr Vincent Makokha, the Director Chaplaincy and Psycho-social support at Kenya Police Service, noted that the nature of police officers' duties, coupled with their family responsibilities, puts them at more risk of experiencing mental challenges.
“Police officers are trained to deal with different situations. However, there are times they meet unexpected situations and when such is not dealt with in good time, they get to a state of confusion which eventually distorts normal functioning of the brain,” said Dr Makokha.
