Police officers in Kenya have endured poor living conditions for a long time.
Since I was born, twenty-something years ago, I have always wondered how police officers survive in round, tiny 'mabati' houses. I spent my childhood at Ahero in Kisumu County. We used to live right behind the Ahero Police Post which also housed Administrative Police (AP) officers.
The police houses were of two types; round semi-permanent houses painted white meant for senior officers and round tiny 'mabati' houses which were for junior officers. Since we were immediate neighbors to the police post, we became friends with the officers. They invited us to their houses. I was shocked to learn that one house was shared by two police officers, I pitied them.
The 'mabati' houses used to get hot during dry, hot seasons that most of them preferred relaxing outside on a mat or bench. I thought it was only police officers in Ahero who had such kind of houses but when I later traveled outside Nyanza I realized the situation was the same in almost every police quarters. I wondered why our law enforcers were treated that way. I asked myself a lot of questions. Was it because the police sector was reportedly the most corrupt in the country?
Not all police officers are corrupt. I believe most of them are hard-working Kenyans who spend sleepless nights to make sure the rest of the citizens are safe. I was elated by news on January 4, 2017 that the government had started constructing decent houses for police officers.
The Jubilee government had seen the state of police houses and ordered for the construction of new, modern housing units for them. The police housing project started in August 2016 when the government announced plans to build 20,000 housing units for the officers across the country.
This is a step to the right direction, it is time all our law enforcers get decent houses.The relevant ministries should work together with the various stakeholders to make sure this noble project is brought to a fruitful conclusion. Shelter is a basic need and as enshrined in the constitution, all Kenyan citizens have a right to decent housing.
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