What killed Tom Adala? MP demands answers
Tom Adala, 54, was an Assistant Director at the NIS. He is said to have taken his life in Kilimani Estate, Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- It is alleged that Mr Adala took his life due to depression, stress and humiliation at work.
Parliament is set to conduct investigations into the death of Assistant Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Tom Adala on Jun 5, 2024.
Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi on Wednesday sought a statement from the National Assembly’s Committee on Administration and Internal Security, seeking answers on the circumstances that led to the death of the senior officer.
In his statement read on the floor of the House, Mr Atandi wants the committee to clarify whether the assistant director could be re-assigned other duties within the service, and provide details of the legal and policy framework for such re-assignment.
The lawmaker also wants the committee to explain the reasons for the re-assignment of Mr Adala.
In addition, Mr Atandi wants the committee to provide a report on the veracity of reports that Mr Adala suffered from stress and humiliation at the NIS due to his ethnicity.
“Provide a report on the status of investigations into the death of Mr Tom Adala, include a timeline for the completion of the investigation and when the findings would be made public to provide clarity and closure for Mr Adala’s family and friends,” Mr Atandi said in his statement.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula referred the matter to the Committee on Internal Security chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, which will now summon various stakeholders.
On June 5, 2024, Mr Adala was found dead at his residence at Kirichwa Villas in Kilimani, Nairobi.
It is alleged that Mr Adala took his life due to depression, stress and humiliation at work.
Mr Atandi, who described the deceased as a dedicated public servant, said the circumstances surrounding his death should be investigated.
“The circumstances surrounding his death call for thorough and transparent investigations to ensure justice for his family and address any work-related circumstances that may have led to his tragic death so as to secure the integrity of NIS and other national security institutions,” Mr Atandi said.
Until his death, Mr Adala was an assistant director in charge of counter-violent extremism at NIS headquarters in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
A post-mortem examination on his body concluded that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor, who conducted the autopsy at the Lee Funeral Home, said Mr Adala was killed by a single bullet to his head.
Preliminary investigations by the police had indicated that Mr Adala shot himself from the right side of the head using a pistol with the bullet exiting on the left side.
Police said he had been battling depression.
