蜜芽传媒

Kenya's police force has been facing a particular problem for months: a growing number of officers struggling with mental health issues. According to a senior official in the force, nearly 2,000 officers are unfit to serve due the state of their mental health.

For many people, the police in Kenya have a tough, no-nonsense reputation. The revelation of the scale of mental health issues within the force presents the Kenyan police in a different light.

Cyrus Ombati, a national security journalist based in Nairobi, has been speaking to several police officers to find out the reasons behind this rise in mental health issues within the force.

"They are citing a number of issues including poor pay, poor working environment and expectations from society... people expect you to be a role model but junior officers are poorly paid and cannot meet the expectations of taking care of their families. So many turn to crime and when they are caught it pushes them to the status (of having mental health issues)."

(Pic: Man experiencing mental crisis. Credit: Getty Images)

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