A police officer attached to the Presidential Escort Unit is said to have collapsed and passed away under unclear circumstances.
The police sergeant was in the company of his colleague on Tuesday, April 22, when he collapsed as he attempted to board one of the government vehicles assigned to his unit.
He was hastily rushed to the Karen Hospital following his collapse, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, although the cause of his death is yet to be established.
The deceased officer served in the Presidential Escort Unit, which was primarily tasked with protecting the Head of State, his Deputy, the first family and retired Heads of State.
While the cause for the officers' collapse and sudden death remains unclear, medical experts have in the past attributed sudden death in adults to a number of conditions, including cardiac arrest, which occurs from underlying heart conditions which at times go undiagnosed.
Living or working in high-stress environments combined with physically demanding duties can also trigger cardiac events. Further extreme stress and fatigue – something police officers are consistently subjected to – have also been blamed for sudden collapse.
His sudden passing comes just weeks after a separate incident in which Komora Mubadi Jilo collapsed and died while awaiting an interview at the Public Service Commission offices in Nairobi, raising fresh concerns over the health and welfare of officers.
According to preliminary reports, the officer was on duty with his colleagues when he suddenly collapsed, prompting other officers to spring into action.
His sudden death brought forth an underlying issue of the welfare of officers, as it came just days after a separate incident saw a candidate seeking to be the new chairman of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) collapse and pass away while waiting to go in for an interview.
Komora, who successfully ran for Garsen Member of Parliament in 2022, was among four candidates set to be interviewed by the Selection Panel for NPSC nominees when he collapsed at the PSC offices.
Notably, the Karen incident bore similarities to a similar one in October 2024, when a female police officer posted at the Muungano Police Station collapsed and died in her home.
A police report obtained by Kenyans.co.ke revealed that the officer was in the company of her husband on the evening when she suddenly experienced a seizure attack, leading to her collapse.
