An Examination Of Employee Counselling Programmes In The National Police Service In Kenya: A Case Study Of Nairobi County

Abstract

Employee counselling presents opportunities for employees to resolve their problems and embrace successful options of dealing with challenging circumstances. In many studies, employees who receive counselling report higher satisfaction with their circumstances and improved ability to resolve personal and career-related problems. Police work is highly stressful, and in the Kenyan case has led to members of the force harming themselves and others in the course of duty. Employee counselling programs can assist police officers receive psychological support in overcoming stressful challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine the availability and effectiveness of counselling programs in the Kenya Police Service. A descriptive research approach was adopted, the target being police officers who had worked for 10 years or more in the various police stations in Nairobi County. Quantitative data was collected from serving officers by use of a questionnaire while a key informant interview was used to collect qualitative data from senior officers. The data was analysed using the Social Package for Social Science (SPSS) software and results expressed using descriptive statistics including means, percentages and frequencies. Conclusions drawn were that availability of employee counselling programmes in the National Police Service is very low, and even where they exist there are not adequate efforts to create awareness. Attitudes towards counselling among the rank and file of police officers is largely negative, with most reporting no effects on their relationships, morale and work performance. Need was therefore established for a structured roll out of employee counselling programmes, for a deliberate campaign to promote employee counselling as a way of boosting officers’ emotional and psychological wellbeing, and for investments to boost the programmes. The study recommends that the government should invest more in the actualization of effective employee counselling programmes in the National Police Service, and that an effective campaign be rolled out to inform serving officers of the availability of counselling services and their benefits. Further, the study recommended that more studies covering other counties in the country be undertaken to concretize the place of employee counselling in checking against excesses perpetrated by police officers in the course of their work. More studies are also recommended for other disciplined forces like the military who also require employee counselling.