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The National Police and Prisons Service officers have been awarded an enhanced life insurance and work injury benefits beginning January 1 next year.

On top of the comprehensive group life cover, the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will also offer the officers improved work injury benefits, meaning that besides the cover, all officers injured and killed in the line of duty will be compensated

A total of 131,816 officers from both services will now benefit from an insurance policy that is harmonised with those of other civil servants and which is tailored to address the vulnerabilities of the surviving families of those who lose their lives in line of duty. 

This follows the signing of a contract with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) for the provision of the services.

“It is a culmination of lengthy deliberations and consultations among the key stakeholders, who settled on the  intra-government  contracting  model  with  a  view  to addressing  the  escalating  claims  of  unpaid  life  insurance  and  annuity  benefits  to service members or their designated beneficiaries,” Interior Principal  Secretary  Karanja Kibicho said.

The initiative, according to PS Kibicho, was part of the government’s systematic efforts to institutionalize a welfare and protection programme for the 131,816 officers who have  to contend with life-changing situations through the course of their duties.

“We’ve had challenges in providing our officers with these services, and that is why we decided to engage NHIF to protect them just like the other civil servants,” he said.

“The entities were strictly guided by the existing public procurement procedures,” he added.

The agreement was signed yesterday at a function attended by the PS State Department for Correctional Services Zeinab Hussein, the Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai and the Commissioner for Kenya Prisons Service, Wycliffe Ogallo.