A police officer serving at Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka's home in Kitui is believed to have died by suicide by allegedly consuming a poisonous product.
Reports indicated that the officer, of the rank of a constable, was found writhing in pain at his house located within the politician's compound.
The officer was later pronounced dead while undergoing treatment at a hospital on the morning of Sunday, November 26.
Kitui County Police Commander Leah Kithei confirmed the incident, adding that police launched investigations to ascertain the circumstances of the death.
The commander further indicated that the state was scheduled to carry out a postmortem on the body to find out the cause of death.
A member of the Wiper Leader's team told Kenyans.co.ke that the politician's inner circle will only address the officer's demise once it receives a conclusive police report.
"We are awaiting direction from (Kalonzo)," the source stated.
The incident comes at a time when reports are pointing at a distressed workforce suffering from mental health issues.
In January last year, the National Police Service Commission indicated that 12,000 police officers were suffering from the epidemic.
“The mental cases out of the recent assessment is almost trending towards the figure of 12 to 13 per cent of the total population of the officers. It’s trending toward the global figures,” read the report in part.
In March 2023, Amnesty International estimated that an average of 13 murders and 11 suicides occur every year within the local police force.
The officers have also expressed frustration and stress mostly linked to the demanding nature of their jobs or pressure from their superiors.
Counsellors, medics, and psychologists highly recommend seeking help whenever you experience any mental health issues. Call the Kenya Red Cross toll-free hotline, 1199, for support.