A police officer was found dead in his house after a suspected suicide mission in Kapseret, Uasin Gishu.
The body of constable Joshua Kiplangat Kosgei, 32, attached to Eldoret Central police station was on Sunday discovered hanging on a shoelace that had been tied on a truss.
Police who attended the scene said he had domestic issues with his wife.
The deceased is said to have first burnt his wife’s clothes in the house before the incident happened.
Police who visited the scene said he hanged himself by use of a black shoelace which was tied on the roof truss inside his house.
The body was removed and taken to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) mortuary awaiting postmortem examination.
This is the latest incident of suicide in the service in a worrying trend.
Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide in 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.
Inspector General of police Japhet Koome also created a welfare directorate to focus on the issue among others.
The counselling unit will, among other things, evaluate, design and lead an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
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.
In 2019 police launched a new programme - Muamko Mpya (Healing the Uniform Initiative) – to give psychological support to officers.
Counselors, medics, and psychologists advise that you can always reach out for help when experiencing any mental health issues. Call Kenya Red Cross toll-free hotline, 1199 for support.
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