Kericho police officer dies by suicide inside police station

A police officer at the Sossiot Police Station in Belgut, Kericho County was discovered dead inside the station in a suspected case of suicide.

According to authorities, the 49-year-old police officer had recently been transferred to the station, having arrived just a few weeks before.

The officer only identified as Wagathari, was discovered lifeless in the station's radio room on Sunday morning.

His body was found hanging from a shoelace with investigators believing he had died hours before he was found.

Earlier that morning, he had told officers on duty that he was being pursued by unknown individuals from his residence within the police quarters.

The body was moved to a local mortuary for autopsy.

This case adds to the growing number of suicide incidents involving police officers, often attributed to work-related stress among other reasons.

Before April 2019, the training of police officers emphasized work-related skills.

However, the National Police Service later placed an equal emphasis on the mental wellness of police officers in a bid to improve service delivery and curb cases of suicide and murder among officers.

In response to the rising cases of suicides within the NPS, an ambitious approach was unveiled to sensitize all police officers to trauma healing and psychological well-being.

The plan was set to give officers tools to recognize trauma in themselves, other officers and the community; and improve skills and approaches to facilitate peer support.