A Catholic priest was on Sunday found dead in a lodging at Kilala shopping centre in Kaiti, Makueni County.
It is suspected Father Stephen Kyalo swallowed poison.
Kyalo who serves in the Kako area is said to have booked the room at around 8 am on Sunday and ordered beer worth Sh1,600.
According to the police, the priest remained in his room throughout the day without asking for food.
This prompted the room attendants to sense that something was amiss.
At around 8 pm, the attendants are said to have knocked on his door but there was no response.
They called police who broke into the room and found his lifeless body having taken poison.
The body was taken to Makueni Hospital mortuary as police investigate the matter.
The motive behind the suicide remains unclear, police said.
Police say the hotel management called them at around 7 pm after they became suspicious since the priest never came out of the room or ordered food.
Makueni Sub County Police Commander Timothy Maina said they recovered a poisonous substance that the priest reportedly swallowed.
“It is after this alert when our officers visited the scene and found the priest lying on the bed with no physical injuries,” said Maina.
Police also recovered two bottles of beer, a bottle of Red Label whiskey and another containing a chemical (Sulban 48EC), two empty glasses, room keys, a smartphone and a mask.
