Senate Orders Compensation for Injured Police Officers by January 2025

Nairobi , 

Wednesday, December 5, 2024

McCreadie Andias 

The Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations has ordered the settlement of all compensation claims for police officers injured in the line of duty by mid-January 2025. 

This decision follows weeks of deliberations spurred by a petition from injured officers, which highlighted significant delays and the rejection of their claims.

The petition, presented in July 2024 by Senator Okiya Omtatah (Busia), detailed the frustration and distress faced by police officers who had filed compensation claims but were met with obstacles. The officers, according to the petition, were often denied or delayed payments for injuries sustained while on duty.

On Thursday, December 5, 2024, the Senate Committee convened a meeting with key stakeholders, including representatives from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSH), the Social Health Authority (SHA), and several insurance companies, such as Jubilee Allianz, GA Insurance, APA Insurance, CIC General, Britam General, and UAP Insurance. 

The session aimed to address the officers' concerns about the compensation process, focusing on the reasons for claim rejections, the necessity of second medical assessments, and the interpretation of insurance contracts related to the officers' benefits.

A major issue discussed during the meeting was the practice of requiring second medical assessments by co-insurers, even when the officers had already undergone evaluations conducted by DOSH. This was revealed to be in violation of existing laws, causing further frustration among the officers and lawmakers.

Senator George Mbugua voiced his displeasure with the responses provided by representatives from the SHA, accusing them of being unhelpful and dismissive. "These officers from SHA do not seem to be competent enough because the responses they are giving are very casual. They are simply telling us nothing," Sen Mbugua stated.

Senator Seki Lenku (Kajiado) also expressed his concerns about the arbitrary nature of the insurance companies’ procedures. He criticized the insurers for adding to the suffering of police officers who were already dealing with injuries sustained in the course of their duties. "Why should these police officers be subjected to a second medical assessment? And why are there issues when the contract clearly states that police officers are on duty throughout?" Sen Lenku asked.

Following these discussions, Vice Chairperson of the Committee, Senator Karen Nyamu, issued a firm directive to the SHA, the NPSC, and the co-insurers to work closely with DOSH to resolve all pending claims. The Committee set a deadline of the third week of January 2025 for the settlement of all claims, warning that the concerned parties must present a clear report detailing the resolution progress.

“We are giving you up to the third week of January to settle all the claims and appear before this Committee with a clear report,” Sen Nyamu emphasized.