This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
As Kenya battles the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Police Service is receiving crucial support from various stakeholders to protect its officers from infections.
On May 21, 2020, the National Gun Owners Association (NGAO) partnered with the Ministry of Health to train nearly 2,000 police officers on measures to prevent infections while executing their duties, particularly in hotspot areas.
NGAO chairperson Anthony Wahome pointed out that police officers, like healthcare workers, are equally prone to the pandemic due to the nature of their job.
"After health care workers, they (police officers) are on the frontline and the most exposed," said Wahome.
NGAO members donated a sanitization booth to Pangani Police Station in honour of the late Captain Akber Sumra, a pilot who died in a plane crash in Maasai Mara.
The sanitization booth, unveiled by Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua, has ten nozzles spraying on someone at the same time, able to spray the entire body, according to Captain Mohamed Sumra, a brother to the deceased.
Though officers have been given basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Mbugua warned that "we still need more." He also warned of tough action against people flouting curfew orders.
Authorities continue to encounter people not providing essential services as late as 8 p.m, while many others are not following safety measures issued by the Ministry of Health.
