Residents of Ng’ombeni in Kwale County took matters into their own hands, turning against a police officer who allegedly attempted to attack a family with bows and arrows.
The police officer stationed at Ng’ombeni Patrol Base was brutally killed by the angry mob.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday at around 11:00am, has sent shockwaves through the community and raised serious concerns about mental health issues within the police force.
Police Constable Titus Gaya, who had recently exhibited signs of mental health problems, left his post unnoticed and made his way to the home of Mwanaisha Ali in the Ziwani area.
According to a police report obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, Gaya forcibly entered Ali’s residence and began threatening her family with a bow and arrows.
The unexpected intrusion caused widespread fear and panic among Ali’s relatives.
Mwanaisha Ali quickly alerted nearby residents, who rushed to the scene and were able to subdue Gaya.
Unfortunately, the situation escalated rapidly. The officer was subjected to a severe beating by the mob and ultimately succumbed to his injuries before other officers could arrive.
The arrival of additional police personnel from Kwale found Gaya's lifeless body lying on the floor.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Gaya had been struggling with mental health issues, a troubling trend that is increasingly affecting police officers across Kenya.
Recent data from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) shows that at least 12,000 officers are grappling with mental health challenges, largely attributed to the high-stress environment of their work.
In response to this growing crisis, the NPSC has initiated counselling sessions aimed at providing tailored support to officers. As of June 2023, nearly 26,000 officers have benefited from these counselling programmes.
The rise in cases of mob justice has been a growing concern in Kenya.
Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred when Inspector Simon Mwangi Kariuki was killed by an enraged mob in March. The attackers also stole his Ceska pistol, further compounding the issue of public violence against law enforcement.
In another disturbing event from June, a video went viral showing a driver assaulting a traffic police officer during a road rage incident on Kamiti Road, Nairobi.
The driver, identified as Njoroge, was later apprehended after a widespread manhunt.
The situation is compounded by incidents from the previous year. Two officers, Emmanuel Kiprop and James Mureithi, were killed by a mob in Kanthanje market, Tharaka-Nithi County. Preliminary investigations revealed that the officers were not on duty and were present in the market on personal errands, which raises questions about their presence and the events leading to their deaths.
