Cop dies by suicide at Sossiot police station

A 49-year-old police officer was found dead after a suspected suicide incident at a police station in Kericho County.

Police said the incident happened at the Sossiot police station in Belgut, Kericho County and the officer involved was new at there.

He had been moved to the station weeks ago, his colleagues said.

The body of constable Paul Wagathari was found hanging on a shoelace long after he had died at the station’s radio room on Sunday morning.

The motive of the incident is yet to be known.

Police said Wagathari had come to the station on Sunday morning and told those on duty there were people chasing him from his house within the police line.

He spent his morning hours at the station’s radio room with two officers on duty.

The officers said they left to hoist the national flag and came back minutes later only to find the body hanging on the window grill with a shoelace tied around his neck.

The body was later removed to the local mortuary pending autopsy and other investigations.

This is the latest such incident to happen to police. There has been a surge in suicide cases among police officers.

Many say this is linked to their stress. Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide or were killed many 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.

The counselling unit will, among other things, evaluate, design and lead an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.

At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded every month. Officials say 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.

Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma. They include deaths by gun.

Elsewhere, a female police officer collapsed and died in an incident outside the newly opened Mbaraki Police Station, Mombasa County.

Colleagues of Corporal Jesca Keter have launched investigations into what might have led to her death on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

The officer who is the mother of three, is said to have collapsed and died after returning her gun to the armory at the police station.

She had been assigned to provide security at the Kizingo Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church.

Witnesses said she returned the gun to the station after the end of the service at the church and as she was leaving the station, she collapsed and died. The cause of the death is yet to be known.

The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy to establish the cause of the death, police said.

Jesca was recently promoted by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja from the rank of police constable to corporal.