There was drama and panic when a police officer was disarmed and arrested after he started to shoot into the air at the Yatta Police station, Machakos.
The incident happened on Sunday morning, prompting other officers living there to take cover for their safety as the officer fired into the air, emptying an AK-47 rifle magazine that had 30 bullets, witnesses said.
According to police, the victim involved in the shooting had been assigned to man the cell sentry office and was armed with an AK-47 rifle.
He went to the residences of two
colleagues while shooting at the air and threatened to kill one of the wives
there before hoping to the other.
By then, panicked colleagues were devising ways to disarm him, while others hid in fear of being targeted.
Police said no one was injured in
the drama that lasted almost ten minutes.
After he had emptied his magazine, he was subdued and disarmed before being arrested and detained in cells.
Police said they recovered 14 spent cartridges at the scene.
The motive of the shooting was not immediately established, police said.
Other colleagues suspect the
incident is linked to the rising cases of trauma in the service.
As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services, and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit to attend to the demanding situation.
The counselling unit, among other things, evaluates, designs and leads an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
Officials say 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. Some of the police officers resort to suicide.
On September 10, 2025, the National Police Service joined key stakeholders and partners to
mark World Suicide Prevention Day at the Cooperative University of Kenya in
Nairobi.
The purpose of the day is to raise global awareness that suicide can be prevented.
The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, was represented by the Director of Counselling and Psychosocial Support at the Kenya Police Service (KPS) Headquarters, Evelyn Mbugua.
Kanja called for the urgent need to confront suicide as a national concern.
Kanja emphasised the National Police Service’s deliberate steps to strengthen mental health systems for officers and their families.
“These efforts include establishing counselling offices, chaplaincy services, psychosocial deployment, and forming partnerships with institutions such as Africa International University and DMF-Kenya,” he said.
He called for the need to break the silence and
end the stigma surrounding mental health, to strengthen access to counselling
and psychosocial support and to build strong partnerships across society to
save lives.
