Kisumu Police Housing Officer Dead from Suspected Suicide
The incident has once again brought attention to the growing issue of mental health challenges among law enforcement officers.
By Ruth sang
The police officer died in Nyalenda Police Lines of Kisumu on Monday morning according to police who believe he committed suicide. The incident has raised fresh concerns about the mental well-being of officers serving in the disciplined forces.
The police report identified the deceased officer as Constable Omari Ontweka Wycliffe. His body was found at approximately 9 a.m. hanging from a stair railing within the police residential quarters. The reports indicate he used his waist belt for the act.
A neighbour named Caleb Otieno who lives in the police housing compound discovered the body. Otieno recounted that he had just stepped out of his parents’ residence located in Block A House Number 1 when he noticed the officer hanging from a stair rail in a nearby building.
Otieno explained to authorities that he tried to save the officer when he saw him hanging. The officer showed no signs of life when he reached him. The neighbours who heard his alarmed call for help rushed to the scene to assist but they could not save the officer.
The police officers led by the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer and the Officer Commanding Station OCS Kisumu Central arrived at the location after they received the emergency call. The examination proved that the officer had died.
Kisumu Central OCS Benson Matheka stated that preliminary assessments point to suicide as the likely cause of death. The medical examination showed no injuries on the officer except for the ones that matched his discovered condition. The investigators found no suicide note at the location which created difficulty in identifying the events that led to the officer’s condition.
The body was removed from the area after Crime Scene Investigation personnel finished documenting and processing the area. The remains were later transferred to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary to conduct a postmortem examination which will determine the actual cause of death.
The authorities classified the case as “Pending Under Investigation” which led detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations DCI in Kisumu Central to take control of the investigation. The investigators will gather further information through interviews with colleagues and family members and neighbours to learn about the situation that led to the officer’s death.
The incident has once again brought attention to the growing issue of mental health challenges among law enforcement officers. Police officers experience increased suicide attempts which has created a need for better mental health services and programs that help officers manage their job-related stressors.
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