Image: courtesy
The police officer who died by suicide at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi has been identified as 59-year-old Corporal Linus Muia Mutunga.
Mutunga was due for retirement end of this year. He had already been given his retirement letters, which were found in the car where he shot himself, police said.
It is not clear if this contributed to his sudden move.
He was a driver attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations operations department at the time of the incident.
His colleagues said he had served for 40 years and was a dedicated officer. They suspect he was not ready for retirement.
He shot himself in the chest in his car on Wednesday morning moments after he had reported to work.
The motive of the suicide is yet to be known. His colleagues said he locked himself in the car and shot himself.
He died on Wednesday, October 11. His colleagues were alerted by the sound of the bullet from the parking lot of the operations section and on checking they found him dead.
A cleaner in the yard was the first one to notice him dead.
DCI boss Mohamed Amin and chief government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor visited the scene.
They established he shot himself in the chest near the heart and called his family for an autopsy and other procedures.
This is the latest such incident to happen in the service.
Last week, a senior officer died by suicide in his house in Utawala area, Nairobi.
Superintendent Ezra Ouma shot himself in his house on Thursday, October 5, moments after he had called his friend who is also a police officer and told her he would die by suicide.
Ouma was in charge of the Special Operations Bureau at Kayole police division. He was due for retirement in two years, his colleagues said.
Police who visited the scene said Ouma had also shot a neighbour in the left leg after he tried to stop him from his mission.
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.
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.
