Mystery as presidential escort officer Samuel Ngatia found dead

Constable Samuel Ngatia, a police officer attached to the elite presidential escort unit was on Monday found dead in his house in Juja, Kiambu County.

According to reports reaching the news desk, preliminary investigations show that Ngatia committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

He was alone in the house within the General Service Unit’s Recce squad camp along Kenyatta Road at the time of the incident.

Mystery as presidential escort officer Samuel Ngatia found dead Pulse Live Kenya

Officials who visited the scene said he used his pistol to shoot himself, and preliminary findings show the bullet entered on the right side and exited on the left side.

In the house, police recovered a Jericho pistol loaded with 13 bullets and a Trevor Sub Machine Gun with two magazines loaded with 30 bullets.

“He did not look stressed when we met last Friday and we are waiting for word from the police on the incident,” disclosed a close family member.

There have been growing concern in Kenya over an alarming rise in suicides.

According to police, more than 500 people in the country took their lives in the first six months of 2021, more than in all of 2020.

Central Kenya recorded the highest number of suicide cases, at 181. The Rift Valley region reported 68, Nyanza 67, Nairobi 63, the eastern region 57, the western region 29, the coastal region 14, and northeastern Kenya three cases so far this year.

Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai inspects a guard of honour Pulse Live Kenya

Murder-suicides within the National Police Service are also on the rise.

In response to the rising cases of murder-suicides within the police, NPS has embarked on an ambitious programme to sensitise all police officers in trauma healing and psychological wellbeing.