A Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer allegedly died by suicide at the agency’s headquarters in Lang’ata, Nairobi, on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Corporal Richard Ndegwa Gichia, 39, and was attached to KWS headquarters.
According to police, the incident was reported at about 3 pm.
Police officers visited the scene and found the officer’s body inside a washroom within Ndovu Court, seated on a toilet bowl while holding an AK-103 rifle in his left hand.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Corporal Gichia had been on duty as an unarmed guard commander before he proceeded to the armoury, where he is alleged to have collected an AK-103 rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.
He is said to have walked through the reception area into the washroom, where he allegedly fatally shot himself.
Police said the bullet entered through the mouth and exited through the skull.
No suicide note was recovered at the scene, and investigators said the motive remains unknown.
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) officers processed the scene before the body was moved to Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.
Police have launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Suicide has been on the rise among members of disciplined services, which include KWS, police, prisons and the military.
Officials say, like the police, KWS personnel 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.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
The World Health Organisation says such cases are also attributed to joblessness, death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial difficulties.
Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.
The government says efforts are being made to address the menace.
Elsewhere, police in Kisumu county launched investigations after the decomposed body of an unidentified man was retrieved from River Sondu Miriu in Nyakach Subcounty.
The body was spotted floating in the middle of the river near Agai area in Olwa Village, Siany Sub-location, South Nyakach Location, on Saturday.
The scene was documented before the body, believed to be that of an adult male, was retrieved from the river with the assistance of members of the public.
Police said the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, making immediate identification impossible.
The remains were moved to the Nyakach Subcounty Mortuary, where they are being preserved pending identification by relatives and a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
Police have appealed to anyone with information that may assist in identifying the deceased to report to the nearest police station as investigations continue into the suspected drowning.
