A police officer attached to Embakasi West Member of Parliament Mark Mwenje has died by suicide.
Embakasi Deputy OCPD Peter Thuo confirmed the death of police constable Austin Owiti Oyuech Shariff on Thursday.
Reports indicate that Owiti who was an Administration Police attached to close-protection unit shot himself in the head on Thursday, September 19, Morning.
The motive behind the shooting is yet to be determined, with police confirming that investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Embakasi West Bodyguard Allegedly Shot Himself
According to sources close to him, Shariff, who was on leave, spent the better part of Wednesday with his friends in the neighborhood where they had drinks.
He later went home at night and woke up as usual before grabbing his gun and shooting himself.
The 43-year-old is a former bodyguard who has served government officials in the past and was guarding Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje.
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The lawmaker stated that he was aware of the incident and that investigations were ongoing to determine the cause leading to the suicide.
“It is sad this happened, and we are investigating the same,” Mwenje said.
Police collected the body and took it to the mortuary, pending an autopsy and other procedures.
He will be laid to rest at his parent’s home in Seme, Kisumu County, on Friday, September 20, in accordance with his Muslim faith.
Suicide Cases Among Officials
Shariff’s death follows the tragic incident involving Tom Adala, an Assistant Director at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) headquarters in Ruaraka, who died by suicide in June.
A note recovered from his house, written in a black notebook, revealed that Adala had been struggling with various issues, one being his ongoing divorce with his estranged wife.
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In the book, Adala complained about his marital issues stating that nobody should be blamed for his death. According to preliminary reports, he had separated with his wife and the couple was going through a divorce.
Furthermore, Adala also asked that his children who live with his estranged wife be visiting his grave when he is gone.
“Nobody should be blamed for this,” the deceased said in the note.
At the same time, Adala’s colleagues revealed that the separation had taken a toll on him, causing a lot of stress and pain.
However, they indicated that the situation worsened when the NIS officer was transferred to his new station as the head of the Counter-Extremism Violence Unit during recent staff changes.
They visited Adala at his home to encourage him but at the time he had his mind set on resigning.
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