Police officer shoots himself dead in Baringo
The Mogotio Police station signage. A police officer attached to the station shot himself dead in a suspected suicide.
A police officer stationed in Mogotio, Baringo County, has shot himself dead in a suspected suicide.
Kevin Moses Wanakacha is said to have taken a G3 rifle belonging to his colleague to shoot himself at 7.30pm on Sunday.
Fellow officer Jackson Omondi had left the gun in his house to answer the call of nature at a nearby latrine.
Police reports indicate that Mr Omondi, who is attached to the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) camp in Mogotio, had taken the rifle from the armoury on his way to guard duty at the deputy county commissioner’s office.
Baringo County Police Commander Adamson Bungei said the officer went to his house, which is 50 metres from the deceased officer’s house, and went to relieve himself.
“While at the latrine, he heard a gunshot and rushed back to the house to find the door open, with the deceased seated on the chair holding the said rifle and his hands placed between the legs,” said Mr Bungei.
The officer, he said, shot himself in his chin, with the bullet exiting at the top of his head. One spent cartridge of 7.62mm and the G3 rifle with 19 rounds of ammunition were seized, the police boss said.
“The officer had no cases of indiscipline and he has served in the police service for three years. We are informed that he had some issues with a lady living within Mogotio and we suspect that might have been the reason he ended his life because he did not leave anything, including a note, for us to know exactly what might have led him to take such [an] … act,” he said.
The officer’s body was moved to the Eldama Ravine Sub-County Hospital mortuary.
This was not the first such shooting in the region. In March 2018, an Administration Police officer (AP) stationed at Marigat, Baringo South sub-county, shot himself dead two days after reporting to work.
Daniel Chemjor, 54, was said to have taken his own life at 5.55am, a few minutes after handing over to the day-shift officers.
The officer, from Kapsoo in Baringo Central sub-county, was said to have resumed work after his one-month annual leave.
