Police want more allowances during Covid-19 period

Police employer wants all officers to be paid more allowances beginning March 2020 to cushion them from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

National Police Service Commission chairman Eliud Kinuthia (pictured) on Wednesday said he had initiated negotiation with Cabinet Committee on National Development Implementation and Communication (NDICC) and Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to have all police officers considered for uniform extraneous allowance for all ranks and additional responsibility allowance for commanders commencing March 2020 up to the appropriate time when the Country returns to normal enforcement of law and order.

He added that he had initiated a proposal to have sufficient budgetary allocation for police officers to be supplied with adequate sanitizers and Personal Protective Equipment in all the work stations including temporary roadblocks and formed units in operation areas to protect them from the risk of contracting Covid-19 infection.

“I appeal to the public and good citizens of Kenya to be law-abiding during this hard period of Covid- 19 pandemic and avoid unnecessary confrontation with Police Officers and not to fabricate untrue allegations against police officers,” he said.

He added the Commission had noted some incidences where police have been unfairly accused for wrongs they have not committed.

Kinuthia said in the last month when the Government announced new laws prohibiting all public gatherings, work/stay at home orders, social distancing and subsequent orders on curfew, quarantine, and contact tracing in response to Covid-19 pandemic, police have been involved in a very extraneous enforcement work not anticipated in normal police operations.

He said the new work environment has put police profession to the greater test of balancing between protecting civil liberties of citizens, public safety and security, and welfare and safety of individual Police officers against Covid-19 pandemic.

He also said that police face exposure to the real threat of contracting the virus as they provide the much-needed security and enforcement services which the country cannot do without in the current situation is now a concern of the commission.

“As the employer, we have a duty to ensure all our employees enjoy a safe work environment, motivation and are continuously committed to the delivery of services with utmost exercise of police discipline.”

He said the commission which includes Inspector General of police and his two deputies have made voluntary personal contribution of Sh650,000 towards the Covid-19 fund and appealed to police and civilian staff to voluntary join the commissioners in making individual donations.

He noted with concern a few cases during enforcement of new virus safety measures where police discipline has been compromised and excessive use of force has been applied.

Kinuthia said the IG had already identified those isolated cases, taken the initial step to interdict the officers and recommended their dismissal and dishonorable discharge from the service.

“The Commission has approved the dismissals and will not hesitate to act on all police officers who conduct themselves unprofessionally at any time.”