All police officers will earn house allowances with effect from next month.
Inspector General (IG) of police Joseph Boinett announced that payment of house allowances to the security personnel will ensure that the government addresses a long-standing accommodation crisis within the police service.
Boinett said the allowances will allow police freely live with citizens once the funds trickle to their bank accounts next Month.
Of the 108,000-strong police population, only officers of the rank of inspector and above earn house allowances.
House allowances for police constables in Nairobi County will be paid at Sh18, 124 per month.
Those in Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Meru, and Uasin Gishu will earn Sh13, 124 per month.
Police constables in other counties will be paid Sh8, 124 per month to cater for their housing needs.
“All police officers from all ranks will start receiving house allowances from next month and this will make them have enough money to rent houses outside police stations,’ he said adding that they will start living within the communities.
The increasing number of police personnel has led to a housing crisis, forcing most officers to share houses.
Currently, a police constable is paid approximately Sh.3, 000 as housing supplementation, Sh.5, 000 for corporals in Nairobi and approximately Sh.3, 500-Sh3, 800 in other regions.
A senior sergeant and an inspector of police are paid approximately Sh.6, 000 in Nairobi and approximately Sh.3, 500-Sh.5, 500 in other regions.
A chief inspector in Nairobi gets Sh.25, 000.
An officer of similar rank elsewhere earns approximately Sh.6, 000-Sh.9, 500.
An assistant Inspector General (AIG) of police gets Sh.40, 000 while a senior AIG gets Sh.60, 000 within Nairobi.
The allowance varies in other regions.
The police boss also called on regional police bosses at the Coast to crack the whip and wipe out the notorious Kisauni killer gangs that have continued to terrorise residents in broad daylight.
Boinet said that the insecurity status in Kisauni was wanting and it needed urgent attention to bring to an end the unending concerns over killer gangs terrorising residents.
The concerns emerge in the wake of killing of 10 persons in Kisauni in a span of two weeks.
“I have confirmed that there are concerns myself and area police are aware of the insecurity challenges facing the people of Kisauni and we are now ready to deal with the gangs in accordance with the constitution, “said Boinett.
The 10 people were murdered in two weeks and scores of residents left nursing serious injuries.
Among those who died were two fishermen who were slashed in Ng’ombeni on Friday night.
Three people were seriously wounded and taken to the Coast Provincial General Hospital (CPGH).
The previous night; a couple and their neighbour were killed in Kajiweni within the same Junda Ward.
He was addressing journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of coast top police commanders at the Kenya School of Government held in Mombasa on Sunday.
He noted that security apparatus were determined, to rewrite the ill happenings in Kisauni by bringing sanity in the area.
“We are ready for those criminals, we thereby call for support from the community since we know they live amongst us, “he said.
Boinett spoke amidst an intelligence report shared amongst security organs in Mombasa that indicates that police are aware of the emergence of yet another criminal gang operating in areas of Kisauni and Nyali.
According to the report, there was need, for police to move into the area and bring to an end the activities of the group comprising of 40 to 50 adult members dressed in black attire and jungle uniforms.
At the same time Boinett said that there was need to, come up with a way of dealing with raising cases of suicide, among police officers.
He pointed out that the police force was in the process, of setting up counseling centres for the disciplined forces in all coast counties.
“There are concerns of increased suicide, that need psychosocial support, I am aware that are those who break down and go way beyond their control by killing themselves and others, we will come up with a department to address such issues and decentralise the services to
counties soon, “he said.
By Hussein Abdullahi
