Policy to care for officers’ families planned

By CYRUS OMBATI

The Government plans to introduce a policy to ensure the families of police officers who die while on duty are taken care of.

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said the policy would ensure the deceased’s children are taken to school and other members of the family are comfortable.

“Their children should not cut short their education because the father or mother is gone. We will form a fund to cater for such issues,” said Kalonzo.

He said all police officers rise each morning fully aware of the dangers that lie ahead but still go to work cheerfully because they love their country and their people.

The VP made the remarks as he led government officials in attending the requiem Mass for the four police officers who died in a plane crash in Kibiku area of Ngong a week ago.

The officers are pilots Luke Oyugi and Nancy Gituanja and bodyguards Joshua Tonkei and Thomas Murimi.

Kalonzo did not explain the details of the planned policy but insisted no family should suffer because their dependants died while on duty. The sentiments were also echoed by Special Programmes Minister Esther Murugi.

cause of crash
He at the same time promised to ensure the cause of the crash is known, saying a team of experts appointed for the work was equal to the task.

“We will go an extra mile to actually know what happened. Right now we must stand in solidarity as a country with the families of the departed,” said the Vice President.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga revealed that Attorney General Githu Muigai will today gazzette the names of the team and their terms of reference.

Since the team was named a week ago, it has been stuck because they had not been given their terms of reference and gazzeted.

Members of the team include Justice Kalpana Rawal (Chair), Kenya Air Force Commander Maj Gen Harold Tangai, George McOwenga, Charles Mutinda, and Faith Irari (AG’s office).
Kalonzo who led a government committee that organised the funerals of the six Kenyans announced that MPs and well wishers had been able to raise over Sh15.1 million to go towards educating the families of the police officers.

Sh8.5 million was raised by the police and Provincial Adminisration while MPs donated Sh6.6 million.

eulogised
Commissioner of Police Mathew Iteere eulogised the officers as dedicated.
He said he had supervised Murimi and Oyugi at the GSU Training School where they were trained and Tonkei at the Presidential Escort Unit where he was the commandant and the deceased officer a security man.

“I knew Nancy as a dedicated pilot who also carried me and other officers to and from several other places while she served for 13 years as a pilot,” Iteere said.

The caskets bearing bodies of the officers were driven in four vans and paraded outside the Holy Family Basilica, where an interdenominational service was conducted.
All the four police officers will be buried this week.