Junior officer takes his own life at DCI headquarters

Piece by: CYRUS OMBATI

11 October 2023

• His colleagues said he locked himself in the car and shot himself in the head.

A junior police officer committed suicide on Wednesday at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi by shooting himself in the head. The two leaders are expected to meet shortly.

His coworkers claimed that he shot himself in the head with a gun in the parking lot after locking himself inside his car. He passed away instantly.

It was not immediately clear why the police officer driving the car took such dramatic measures.

When his coworkers checked after hearing a shot from the parking lot at the operations division, they discovered he had died.

He was shot in the head. In preparation for an autopsy, his body was taken to the mortuary.

At the time of the occurrence, senior personnel were present in the office. The event caused a panic.

This occurrence is the most recent of its kind to occur in the service. A senior officer committed suicide last week in the Utawala neighbourhood of Nairobi.

On the afternoon of Thursday, October 5, Superintendent Ezra Ouma shot himself at his home just seconds after telling his friend, who is also a police officer, that he intended to commit himself.

At the Kayole police division, Ouma was in charge of the Special Operations Bureau (SOB).

His coworkers informed him that he would be retiring in two years.

Ouma also shot a neighbour in the left leg when he attempted to stop him from carrying out his purpose, according to police who responded to the scene.

Numerous police officers have committed suicide recently, a trend that has been linked to workplace stress.

Police authorities have started offering therapy services as part of measures to stop the trend, and the National Police Service Commission has set up and staffed a unit to handle their demanding circumstances.

The counselling section will, among other things, assess, plan, and direct an outreach programme that aids in the prevention of mental illness and drug abuse.

Every month, there are at least three examples of police personnel who commit suicide.

According to officials, cops are typically the ones that deal with concerns in the neighbourhood.

In addition to risking their lives, they are expected to preserve law and order in extremely challenging circumstances.

Trauma has been connected to an increase in service-related mortality throughout the years.

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.