A bodyguard attached to Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu has passed on after reportedly taking his own life.
According to preliminary reports, the Governor’s bodyguard who has worked with the governor since assuming office in September 2022 died on Wednesday, January 29 due to suicide at around 3:00 p.m. after shooting himself through the mouth with the bullet exiting through the back of the head.
Laikipia East Police Boss John Tarus confirmed the incident but stated that he was yet to gather full details on what exactly hapenned.
“It is true the governor’s bodyguard has died after shooting himself through the mouth. He did not leave a suicide note and the body has been taken to the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary,” said the police boss.
Joshua Irungu’s Bodyguard Dies by Suicide
Before his demise, it was reported that he took a boda boda ride from Nanyuki town to his home at Blue Gum Estate, which is about three kilometers away.
He instructed the rider to wait for him so they could return to town together. However, shortly after, the rider heard the sound of a gunshot, prompting him to report the incident at a local police station.
The officer has left a wife and a three-month-old baby residing in his rural home in Nyanza.
His colleagues at the governor’s office remembered being with him on Monday evening at a hotel, where he appeared cheerful and showed no signs of distress.
Also Read: CCTV Captures Moment of Pedestrian Attempting Suicide Before Being Struck by Vehicle
The governor’s bodyguard last official duty took place earlier that day when Harriet Chigai, the president’s advisor on women’s rights and gender, along with officials from Habitat for Humanity Kenya, visited the governor’s office.
This visit was in preparation for the launch of a low-cost housing project in Naibor village, dedicated to the memory of the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Irungu’s bodyguard demise adds to a worrying trend of rising suicide cases reported across the country.
A teacher in Bomet County Dies by Suicide
On January 7 2025, a junior secondary school teacher from Kabisimba area in Chepalungu, Bomet County died by suicide.
The 38-year-old who was recently employed in Nakuru County, was found hanging from the rooftop of a toilet at his homestead.
Also Read: Family Reveals Final Moments Before Kin’s Suicide After Compensation Delays by KWS
According to a police report, the teacher’s wife, Nelly Bett, said her husband left the house in the early hours of the morning to use the latrine but never returned.
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