- This is the latest such incident to happen in the service.
- Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide in a trend that is attributed to stress at work.
Image: The Star
Police are investigating an incident in which an officer died by suicide at a camp at the Anti-Stock Theft Unit in Eburu, Gilgil.
Constable John Wambua was discovered dead after he had shot himself in the chest on Wednesday, September 28 at about 2 pm.
Police said Wambua locked himself in his room and shot himself in the chest.
The motive of the incident is yet to be known.
The colleagues heard a gunshot from the house and when they went to check, they found him lying in a pool of blood with the weapon lying next to him.
Witnesses said the team that responded there had to break into the house to access the scene as he had locked himself therein.
He was rushed to the Gilgil hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
No suicide note was found in the house.
This is the latest such incident to happen in the service.
Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide, a trend that is attributed to stress at work.
As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit and staffed it to attend to their demanding situation.
The counselling unit will, among other things, evaluate, design and lead an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded every month.
Further, it will assist clients and families affected by mental health, substance abuse and trauma with ways of overcoming the problem.
The unit will also participate in the formulation of counselling policies, regulations and strategies in conformity with the NPS reform agenda and participate in the implementation, interpretation and review of counselling services, policies, procedures and systems.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
They include deaths by gun.
According to Kenyatta University research, the major factor contributing to suicide and murder among officers in Kenya is work-related trauma.
The study found that police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.
They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk.
It further emphasised that police officers are often in touch with extremely painful issues in the community such as murder and rape.
Inspector General of police Hilary Mutyambai had in 2019 launched a new programme - Muamko Mpya (Healing the Uniform Initiative) – to give psychological support to officers.
“The ultimate goal of the initiative is to provide officers with knowledge, tools and a framework to assist them to support each other while handling traumatic situations,” Mutyambai said.
“They encounter most of these situations on personal and professional levels.”