Name police housing directorate to address crisis, officers tell bosses

Police officers want the authorities to name the team of experts who will lead initiatives to resolve the current housing crisis in the service.

Formulation of the directorate will be in accordance with a policy that was launched last year.

The policy says the Inspector General of Police shall establish the National Police Service Housing Directorate with the overall responsibility of activities, which will include keeping records, maintenance, payment of utilities and preparing monthly reports on housing.

The directorate shall comprise uniformed and civilian experts in their fields such as engineers, physical planners, valuers, quantity surveyors, surveyors, architects, researchers, statisticians and economists/planning experts.

“An officer shall be allocated a single house and shall not be required to share with any other officer. Officers not allocated police housing will be free to rent housing within their area of jurisdiction,” reads the policy.

A number of police officers say they have suffered after they were ordered to move out of Government houses in January. Officers in Nairobi are paid a housing allowance of Sh9,000, Sh3,000 for travelling and a supplemental Sh3,000.

“We need to have a directorate to help manage this issue. The IG is the person who is supposed to mobilise it,” said a senior officer who asked not to be named.

Officers living in Government houses say their power and water have been disconnected due to accrued bills and lack of individual meters.

The policy seeks to ensure that all officers are adequately housed through direct provision of standard housing units and amenities or house allowances. It will also provide for clear-cut criteria for the management and allocation of houses within the service.

“All members of the National Police Service are entitled to provision of a standard house within their area of jurisdiction or their duty station. In the absence of this provision, they shall be provided with flat rate house allowances at an approved rate based on rank,” reads part of the policy.

The policy says officers living in housing provided by police will pay commensurate rent and cater for their own utility and service costs.

Personnel from the General Service Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit, Rural Border Patrol Unit, Presidential Escort Unit and those in training colleges will not benefit from the perk. Instead, they will earn special allowances they can use to pay for accommodation.