Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has reaffirmed her commitment to the yearly mass wedding event for uniformed and disciplined forces.
Speaking during the annual central region uniformed and disciplined forces at Our Lady of Consolata Cathedral Nyeri, the Spouse of the Deputy President emphasized that the mass weddings aim to preserve and uphold family values within the forces.
The program will be conducted in collaboration with the office of the Inspector General of Police and the clergy.
“Together with the office of the IG (Inspector General of Police) we will be conducting uniformed matrimony every year. And we will see how we can fund it, so that there is no excuse. All you will need to do is to wear your uniform and come with your wife,” she said.
Earlier this year, on January 18, Pastor Dorcas convened a meeting with Inspector General of Police Japheth Koome at his office in Jogoo House. During the meeting, the IG pledged his support for the program.
Presently, uniformed servicemen are actively enrolling for the wedding event in their respective stations.
Pastor Dorcas expressed her concern about the plight of numerous families who face destitution when the primary earners, who serve in the uniformed services, pass away.
She said many officers indicate their parents as their next of kin when they join the service at an early age and rarely do they change to their wives when they get married while still in service.
“And when you join the service the person you had indicated as your next of kin is your parents, unfortunately when you die, your wife and children are left in destitute, because in many instances they may not be given what you worked for cannot be given to them, because they are not legally recognized ,” she said.
Central Regional police boss Lydiah Ligami said many times people don’t understand the uniformed forces.
“Many are times people just see the faults in us (police), but we are very human and before God we were created like any other person, and we have our weaknesses but we have our strengths,” she said.
The mass was conducted by Rev. Peter Kairo-Archbishop Emeritus, Archdiocese of Nyeri who challenged the officers to serve Kenyans with integrity. The annual service brings together officers from Kenya Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Administration Police, Kenya Prisons, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service.
