Cherargei: Police shoot themselves because married and unmarried officers share one room
By Aloys Michael, September 10, 2025Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has blamed the appalling living conditions within the police service for the rising cases of suicides among officers.
He said shared housing between married and unmarried officers is driving many into psychological distress.
“Go to police stations across the country; the paint is peeling, and two families are sharing a room, one married, another unmarried. That is why you see police are shooting themselves,” he said during an interview on a local TV station on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
Cherargei called for an urgent overhaul of the police service to address the deteriorating mental health and morale among officers.
“We must do an overhaul of the institution. That is how we can attract more Kenyans to serve in the police as a service, not as a force,” he added.
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His remarks come amid a deepening standoff between Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) over the ongoing police recruitment process, a dispute Cherargei says is being fuelled by a power struggle rather than legal differences.
“This is not about the law. It is about control of payroll and resources. The IG believes that losing control of the payroll means losing control of the police, which is not true,” he stated.
Cherargei accused the IG of overstepping constitutional boundaries by interfering in roles legally assigned to the NPSC, insisting that civilian oversight is a cornerstone of police reforms.
“The Constitution envisages a situation where civilians are part of the process. Even the training of police officers is supposed to include aspects of fundamental human rights,” he said.
The senator also pointed out that Parliament has already passed enabling legislation, including the National Police Service Act and the NDC Act, which clearly define how recruitment should be conducted.
“At the end of the day, who are we serving? We are serving the ordinary mwananchi. Recruiting and training the 10,000 police officers is critical to national security,” he emphasised.
The recruitment exercise has stalled following reports that funds meant for the process were irregularly disbursed to the NPS instead of the NPSC, the body legally mandated to carry out hiring.
The dispute has exposed a deeper institutional rift within the security sector, threatening to derail efforts to strengthen national policing.