Silverio Omari
A police officer stationed at Ng’ombeni Patrol Base in Kwale County was killed by a group of enraged youths after he attempted to attack a family in the Ziwani area with weapons.
According to a police report obtained by Citizen Digital, Police Constable Titus Gaya reportedly left his station unnoticed and arrived at the home of Mwanaisha Ali around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Upon entering the house, the officer attempted to assault the family using bows and arrows, causing fear and panic among Ali’s relatives, who were alarmed to find a stranger in their home. Mwanaisha quickly raised an alarm, prompting nearby residents to rush to her house and overpower the officer. The report noted that the mob subjected the officer to a brutal attack, which led to his death.
Other officers stationed in Kwale were alerted to the incident and arrived at the scene to find Gaya’s body lying on the floor.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased officer had recently developed mental health issues.
This incident underscores the concerning trend of mental health challenges among police officers. Data from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) indicates that at least 12,000 officers suffer from mental health-related issues, primarily due to the nature of their work environment.
In response to this crisis, the NPSC launched counseling sessions to provide officers with personalized care. As of June 2023, the NPSC reported that 25,879 officers had received counseling as part of these initiatives.
Dj Vnyash
