A police officer attached to Mukuyu Substation in Murang’a has been admitted to a Nairobi hospital for alcohol abuse.
According to an OB report seen by K24 Digital, the ailing officer was rushed to the hospital by colleagues after his alcohol intake spilled out of hand.
“A police constable attached to DCI Murang’a South and suffering from acute alcoholism which has degenerated in depression was escorted to Nairobi West Hospital for medication,” part of the OB read.
“At the hospital, the police officer was diagnosed with alcohol intoxication and was admitted at the same facility to undergo alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation,” the OB further read.
In February, mental health experts revealed that about 60 police officers commit suicide annually due to social, financial and workplace pressures.
Senior officers who testified during a mental health awareness training workshop in Nairobi said most of the deaths occurred as a result of unmet expectations occasioned by unhealthy competition among members of the service; domestic squabbles and failure to plan among other causes.
In a February 2 report, a survey supporting this data showed 90 per cent of police officers are experiencing challenges related with alcoholism with 50 per cent requiring psychosocial support to come out of drunkenness.
The 2018 joint survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and National Police Service (NPS) conducted among members of the service established that about 61 per cent of the officers were regular consumers of alcohol.
“This trend is worrying and expected to worsen in the coming days. It thus, calls for enhanced efforts to sensitize members of the service on how to manage Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other expectations while in and out of duty,” Dr John Kibosia, a medical consultant with the NPS cautioned.
Speaking to journalists at the Chiromo Hospital Group mental awareness training for regional police commanders and formation officers, Kibosia said some police officers use alcohol as a way to cope with the daily stress of their job, or as a way to self-medicate for depression, anxiety or PTSD, but cautioned this is likely to spike.
