Senators have demanded a joint and clear report from three key government agencies after discovering major differences in the number of police officers who have received compensation for injuries suffered while on duty.
The Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations said the Social Health Authority, the National Police Service Commission and the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services must harmonise their records before the matter can move forward.
During Thursday’s sitting, the Committee questioned how bodies working on the same issue could give completely different figures. Members insisted the three institutions meet, compare all their files and bring back one consistent list of officers who have been compensated and those whose claims are still pending.
“As a committee, we are directing the Social Health Authority, National Police Service Commission and Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services to have an engagement and submit a list that is concurrent with regards to claims,” Samburu Senator Lelegwe Ltumbesi, who chaired the session, said.
The lawmakers cautioned SHA against rejecting or holding claims on grounds that an officer was off-duty during the injury. They reminded the Authority that the committee had already ruled that every officer is considered to be on duty at all times and such claims cannot be dismissed.
Senators also stressed that it is unlawful to force injured officers to undergo a second medical assessment, saying DOSH is the only body allowed by law to carry out such evaluations.
“The law does not allow parallel or duplicate assessments by other entities,” the committee said.
During the meeting, NPSC Chairperson Amani Yuda Komora and James Mithanga from DOSH urged the committee to push SHA to follow the existing rulings and all contractual agreements. They accused the Authority of failing to respect set procedures, which they said had contributed to the mismatch in the figures.
SHA Chief Executive Officer Mercy Mwangangi told the Senators that the Authority had settled 1,567 claims amounting to Sh1,269,723,694, declined 432 claims, had 129 under dispute, 95 pending due to missing paperwork, 155 in the payment process and 41 still under review.
But DOSH said it had not received any evidence to confirm those payments, while NPSC’s numbers also differed, showing a lack of synchronisation among the agencies.
Mwangangi assured the committee that SHA would continue to ensure all injured officers receive their dues and said the Authority would cooperate more closely with the other institutions to resolve the issues raised.
The inquiry stems from a petition filed by John Amana, Peter Wang’ombe and Quinto Okumu, who appealed to Parliament to help fast-track compensation after long delays.
The three petitioners, who attended the session, welcomed the Committee’s follow-up on the matter and encouraged Senators to keep pushing until all officers get their rightful compensation.
The Committee will hold another meeting with SHA, NPSC, DOSH and Jubilee Insurance to review the progress made following Thursday’s instructions.
