Muamko Mypa: Healing the Uniform — Green String Network

Muamko Mypa

Healing the Uniform

Muamko Mpya is a tailored version of Kumekucha designed for the Kenyan National Police Service (NPS) and Kenyan Prison Service (KPS). The program is specifically focused on addressing the cycle of violence, trauma, resilience, and healing that police officers often encounter in the line of duty. Due to the nature of their work, police officers are exposed to high levels of stress, often resulting in mental health challenges such as addiction, divorce, and suicide. Muamko Mpya aims to provide support and tools to address the effects of trauma and promote well-being among police and prison officers

The issue

A survey by the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) in 2022, indicated that 12 to 13 percent (about 12,000 officers) of the total population of police officers were facing mental health challenges. Plus the Kenyan Mental Health Task Force (MHTF) established in 2020, in their report listed the disciplined forces under special groups whose needs may not be fully addressed by primary health care service providers.

The solution

Muamko Mypa provides police and prison officers with resources for individual support and mutual peer support, using an adapted and context-specific Well-being and Resilience (WebR) Framework by the security sector. The program's unique methodology of stories and images leverages experiential learning, which promotes shared personal experiences and reflections on fellow officers' encounters. Through this process, officers can develop self and social awareness skills, enhancing the transformation of trauma and increasing resilience.

Acomplished

Since 2019, Muamko Mpya worked with officers from the Kenya Police Service (KPS), the Administration Police Service (APS), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), and the Kenya Prison Service (KPS). These stories are not only about officers' experiences during turbulent times but also stories of their quest to find individual and collective healing. The program underwent a validation process, which included training 15 NPS Resource Facilitators, 600 NPS officers, and 55 KPS officers in 2019-2020 and distributing the draft Mumako Mpya booklet to all 47 counties, training institutions, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), and other key partners, including the Reforms Working Group.