The Lamu Women Alliance has built a ramp at the Lamu Central Police Station to ease the movement of disabled, elderly and young residents.
The Sh230,000 structure was built as part of efforts by the women to improve relations between the police and the community.
Speaking during the handing-over ceremony held at the station on Tuesday, Lamu Women Alliance chair Raya Famau said her group will continue to help security agencies in the region serve mwananchi better.
Ms Famau thanked the agencies for ensuring Lamu remains secure and peaceful.
“We saw the need to have a ramp for the disabled people, the aged and children in Lamu who rely on this station, which is the only one on Lamu Island,” she said.
“All these efforts are done to strengthen the positive relationship between the public and the police department.”
She added: “As Lamu people, we have coexisted with these officers for years and we feel the station is ours and not just for the police alone. That’s why we decided to volunteer and construct such an amenity for both the police and the public good.”
Ms Khadija Bahsan, a board member of the Lamu Woman Alliance, noted that the police are a crucial unit for peaceful coexistence among citizens and their working environment needs to be improved not only by the government but also the community around the station.
Lauded the women
“If anything happens in my house today, God forbid, the person I go to is the police officer. And if I’m not on good terms with them, how then can I walk into this police station and report what is happening?” Ms Bahsan said.
“We have to have that relationship. We need to befriend these policemen and women so that crime can be eradicated completely in society.”
Lamu County Police Commander Moses Muriithi lauded the women for the gesture.
He promised to ensure that the cordial relationship between the public and security agencies is maintained, adding that it had bolstered the war on crime and brought peace to the region.
“We are happy for the efforts of the Lamu Women Alliance to improve the infrastructure at our station. We are also happy with the relationship between the police and the public. Let’s continue with the
the same spirit,” he said.
The ramp was built as people with disabilities and their advocates in Lamu County plead for such amenities to be set up at public buildings.
Through their spokesperson Ahmed Bingwa, they expressed concern that many of them are unable to access public offices in the county due to their physical conditions.
“We can’t climb stairs. No
alternative pathways have been made for us. We have to pay able-bodied people to carry us to various offices. It’s not just uncomfortable but unfair as well,” he said.
Omar Fadhil noted that many people with disabilities keep away from the offices for fear of being embarrassed.
“Some of us are blind, some are deaf, yet no efforts are being made to include us,” he said.
The Nation Africa