'Low pay, poor financial management to blame for Police officers' poor mental health'

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The minimum pay per month for a low-ranking Police officer in Uganda is only sh400,000, which, according to experts, is too small for them to fend for basic needs and look after their families.

Experts say Police officers' mental health can be negatively impacted by low pay, and it can result in considerable financial stress and feelings of undervaluation, which can cause anxiety, despair, and burnout. 

Ruth Kintu, a Senior Superintendent of Police from the Department of Child and Family Protection, Naguru Police Headquarters, says financial issues and the inherent risks of the job conspire to produce a very stressful environment that puts officers’ effectiveness and health at risk.

According to Kintu, this comes after a series of gun violence cases increasing in the country, perpetuated by Ugandan Police officers who are suspected of being or allegedly financially stressed.

“Recently, we have had many cases where our officers were involved in domestic violence or homicides involving guns. You remember the issue of the Asian; much as the matter is in court, we can’t discuss it further, but plain facts are financial stress,” she said.

Officer Kintu was speaking at an event organised by the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) at Hotel Africana on October 28, 2025.

ICGLR was training stakeholders on the integration of mental health and psychosocial support and peace building in combating sexual gender-based violence in the Great Lakes region.

She said it is on record that wherever a Police officer is deployed, the majority tend to misuse their salaries.

She added that Police officers acquire hefty loans from money lenders or banks and eventually fail to pay.

Case study

On May 15, 2023, a 30-year-old Ivan Wabwire killed an Indian national, Uttam Bhandari Saremal, who was a moneylender.

Wabwire had acquired a loan of shillings 2.1 million and would pay an interest of shillings 320,000 in a year. After getting the loan, Wabwire returned with the rifle, killing the moneylender. This is not the only case study; some other Police officers have committed suicide in cases related to financial stress.

Clemence Byomuhangi, an accredited counsellor and psychologist, said Police officers, judges, journalists, teachers and psychologists themselves are going through a secondary trauma.

Secondary trauma is psychological distress that occurs when someone is indirectly exposed to a traumatic event, such as through listening to a survivor's story or viewing traumatic content.

It is sometimes called vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue and can result in symptoms similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including intrusive thoughts, avoidance and hyperarousal. This can significantly impact a person's mental and physical health, especially for those in caregiving professions like first responders, healthcare workers, and social workers.

Byomuhangi said mostly Police officers see a lot of crimes, get exposed to confiscated drugs, which can influence them to commit suicide or domestic violence back at their homes. With no chances of getting psychiatric services, such officers become mentally perturbed.

Mark Edward Madaba, a clinical psychologist, said besides money, Police officers work in stressful environments, which also affects them in return.

Way forward

“Uganda Police Force as an institution has integrated mental health concerns and issues in our curriculum, schedules, budgets, operations and day-to-day operations,” Kintu said, challenging her colleagues to desista from having multiple partners who drain their pockets and also to spare time for themselves and their small families.

“We took up the challenge to reach out every quarter, to various regions, meeting our officers, talking to them, and teaching them self-care. As you earn a salary, it is you who wakes up and works; it is you who gets exposed to those work hazards. So, we are convincing and sensitising them to dedicate a fraction of their monthly earnings to personal consumption,” she said.

Statistics

Mental health in Uganda is a major public health issue, worsened by poverty, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and the lingering effects of past conflicts. Services are scarce and concentrated in urban areas like Kampala, mainly at Butabika National Referral Hospital. Stigma and cultural beliefs linking mental illness to witchcraft or spiritual causes further discourage people from seeking help.

Studies show a worrying prevalence of mental health problems. A 2021 PubMed study found that 22.9% of children and 24.2% of adults have a mental disorder. The BMJ Global Health Blog (2023) estimates that about 32% of Ugandans, roughly 14 million people, are affected. This means nearly one in three Ugandans is struggling with mental well-being.

The treatment gap is extremely high, with over 90% of severe cases going untreated. Several experts say Ugandans urgently need stronger mental health systems, more trained professionals, and public educataon to reduce stigma and improve access to care.