Female Officer Who Committed Suicide, Cremated

According to the family, the burial ceremony was attended by only a few friends and family members of Constable Edith Nyawira, 35, as per her wishes.

Those who attended the event said her ash was picked up for other rituals by her family. According to the suicide note she left for her sister, she requested her sister to look after her six-year-old son.

“She also wished for her boyfriend goodbye, but we do not know what motivated her actions,” a family member said.

Nyawira committed suicide at the police camp in Limuru on May 17. The Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit assigned Nyawira.

She was attached to the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit. On that fateful day, she blew up her head using a scorpion rifle issued to her; according to police, she was meant to guard a local bank.

Three expended cartridges and two suicide letters addressed to the deceased's sister and lover were discovered by the investigators who investigated the scene.

Two weeks ago, a police officer in Turkana County's Nabukon village died by hanging himself in his home.

Constable Francis Epem Erot, 44, of the Lokitung police station, committed himself by hanging himself in his home. On May 10, his body was discovered in his bedroom. The motive has yet to be determined by the police.

The latest incident of police suicide was reported on Saturday; a police officer attempted suicide by ingesting a poisonous mixture.

The police said that Constable Bernard Ogada of the Dujis police station in Mbalambala was discovered lying in his girlfriend’s house after a marital dispute.

He was airlifted to the hospital and hospitalized currently in good health.

State of suicide within the police service

These occurrences have disrupted the police service as officials claim that at least one case is reported every week.

The National Police Service Commission said on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 that a recent poll of police officers' mental health revealed that between 12 and 13 per cent of officers suffer mental health difficulties.

There are 110,000 police officers in the country, and at least 12,000 of them are dealing with mental health concerns as a result of work-related issues.

Authorities have begun a counseling program for depressed police officers as part of their efforts to address the problem.

The National Police Service Commission announced the formation of a counseling team to assess, create, and coordinate an outreach program for mental health issues.

The organization also provides assistance to police families and those dealing with mental health issues, substance misuse, or trauma.

The government, the National Police Service, and the Prisons Service have improved counseling and medical assistance for officers, according to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i.

“There is a deliberate drive to destigmatize illness and stress to potential cases, including through the Nyumba Kumi initiative," Matiang'i said.

 Causes of suicide in the police service

Studies have related the causes of the spiked suicide cases in the country’s police service to workplace stress, frustrations, helplessness, poor working environment, traumatic incidents, poor pay, and access to firearms predisposed law enforcement officers to suicide ideation and suicide.

Steps taken to protect the mental health of police officers.

As part of detecting any type of stress among the police, channels of communication among the police have been opened to enable them to talk about what they are going through.

The commission has launched an ambitious program to educate all police officers on trauma recovery and psychological welfare as its mandate to provide safety and security in the country, the

The program aims to empower NPS officers at all levels by increasing their sensitivity to stress and trauma issues that they face on a daily basis in both their work and personal life.