Marakwet Sub-County Police commander (SCPC) George Owano Oswago on Thursday died after he fell ill, moments before reporting to work.
In a police report sent to Kenyans.co.ke, the incident began after the senior officer fell ill while in his residence and called his police driver to rush him to Kapsowor Mission Hospital.
The officer, however, was pronounced dead on arrival.
Following the incident, the driver called detectives from Kapsowor police station who rushed to the scene. Investigations to determine the cause of the accident has been opened.
The body is lying at Kapsowor Mission Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem. The case highlights the rise in number of deaths of police officers in the past year.
According to data from the National Police Service, at least 57 police officers died in the line of duty in the past twelve months.
This included 30 officers from the Kenya Police, 19 from the Administration Police, four from the Kenya Prisons Service and three from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The main challenges experienced by these officers include poverty, lack of enough armour to deal with criminals as well as mental health issues.
In order to address these concerns, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki said that dedicated communications channels should be setup to allow the officers to air out their grievances openly.
While making recommendations to prevent further losses, the CS added that only senior officers should be posted to high-risk areas, citing that junior officers will be considered after gaining three years experience.
He also said that the government will take care of the families of the fallen officers to cushion them from the tough economic situation of the country.
