Members of the public have been encouraged to embrace security officers and seek harmonious coexistence with them in order to boost security in the society.

Speaking at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Cathedral in Machakos during an annual thanksgiving service for uniformed officers drawn from lower Eastern counties of Kajiado, Makueni, Kitui and Machakos, various leaders and top security officials said harmonious coexistence was necessary for successful policing.

“Many Kenyans do not understand the difficult environment that police officers work under. They are equally humans with families and loved ones and every time they step out and go to work, their families are worried whether they will return safely. Members of the public need to embrace them and understand their actions while at work.” said Governor Wavinya Ndeti, who was the chief guest of the ceremony.

Wavinya said her administration was working closely with the county security bosses to chart a proper working engagement with police officers deployed within Machakos jurisdiction.

Machakos Deputy County Commissioner David Rotich called on members of the public to make work of the police officers easy by abiding to the law.

Machakos County Police Commander Patrick Lobolia echoed the governor’s calls for a unified approach to security matters, saying it had yielded good fruits in policing work.

Senior Assistant director of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Selina Mwangangi said families of police officers play a pivotal role in offering moral and spiritual support to the men and women in the security sector.

At the same time, the incoming Embu Diocese bishop Peter Kimani lauded the officers for their passionate drive in serving the nation in their respective departments.

“I urge you to hold on to the passion that God has given you because whatever you do will not go unnoticed,” he said.