- The 35-year-old man was rushed to hospital in serious condition.
- The motive of the suicide is not known but other colleagues said he had been a victim of extortion and threats.
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A senior police officer has died by suicide after shooting himself in the chin in Utawala, Nairobi.
Superintendent Ezra Ouma shot himself in his house Thursday afternoon 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.
At his level as the SOB, he was one of the senior officers at the 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.
The 35-year-old man was rushed to hospital in serious condition.
The motive of the suicide is not known but other colleagues said he had been a victim of extortion and threats.
Police who visited the scene said they found his body lying at a local hospital where he had been rushed to.
A Beretta pistol with 12 bullets was found beside the body.
Senior police officers who visited the scene termed it tragic. The body was moved to a local mortuary pending autopsy.
This is the latest such incident in a series to be reported.
Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide, 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.
Further, it will assist clients and families affected by mental health, substance abuse and trauma with ways of overcoming the problem.
The unit will also participate in the formulation of counselling policies, regulations and strategies in conformity with the NPS reform agenda and participate in the implementation, interpretation and review of counselling services, policies, procedures and systems.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma. They include deaths by gun.
According to Kenyatta University research, the major factor contributing to suicide and murder among officers in Kenya is work-related trauma.
The study found that 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.