KIAMBU,Kenya,Dec,7 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has condoled with the families of six people killed by a police officer in Kabete area Tuesday morning.
According to Matiang’i preliminary investigations have hinted to a possible ‘love triangle’ as the reason behind the police officer’s horrific killing spree.
The officer has since been identified as Constable Benson Imbatu.
Matiang’i who reacted to the tragic news during the commemoration service for Police and Prison officers who have fallen in the line of duty at the APTC Embakasi said that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of the National Police Service are undertaking investigations and will reveal the cause of the shocking incident.
“We are saddened by the shooting and we condole with the families of those affected. As the probe goes on, we understand for now it is linked to a love triangle,” said Matiang’i.
The CS who revealed that members of the clergy will be incorporated into programmes aimed at assisting officers combating mental health issues among others as well as condo weddings urged officers to formalise their unions and share relevant information with their immediate human resource department.
“This will reduce/discourage delays in payment of fallen officers dues over disputed relations and court cases on succession,” he said.
Meanwhile, Matiang’i urged Kenyans to desist from using social media to trivialise and sensationalise such incidents.
“Like any other members of society, Police and Prisons officers are susceptible to mental health challenges and other pressures including drugs and substance abuse.”
Imbatu police say was approaching retirement from the service.
Calls For NPS To ‘Wake up’ and Help Officers
Experts have identified psychological challenges as a major contributor to increased suicide cases among officers.
An attempt by former Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet to address the challenges did not yield much and a report commissioned to establish the cause of the suicide among police officers three years ago was never made public.
Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has since said that the National Police Service has a dedicated department to handle the issues of mental health within the service at all times.
The National Police Service Commission is also establishing a mental health unit, to offer psychosocial support to police officers.
This was after a General Service Unit officer in April this year killed his wife, a traffic officer based at Kilimani Police Division, before committing suicide.
The deceased officer was among bodyguards assigned to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi while his wife was a traffic police officer.
The officer identified by police as Hudson Wakise is said to have opened fire on his wife after a quarrel over domestic issues at the woman’s house, just outside the GSU camp in Ruaraka.
Such cases have been on the increase lately, with at least two cases reported every month across the country, according to available statistics.
Work-related trauma has been identified as a major contributor to the latest series of killings.
IG Mutyambai had in 2019 launched a new programme Muamko Mpya-Healing the Uniform Initiative to give psychological support to officers.
“The ultimate goal of the initiative is to provide officers with knowledge, tools, and a framework to assist them to support each other while handling traumatic situations,” Mutyambai said.
“They encounter most of these situations on personal and professional levels.”
But while such initiatives have been started, it is not yet clear whether they are impactful.
On January 4, 2021, a police officer in Garissa shot and killed himself.
This happened a few hours after a prison warder in Mwea committed suicide after killing a police officer in an alleged love triangle.
The two incidents followed the January 3, 2021 murder-suicide at Kamukunji Police Station in Nairobi, where an officer killed his female colleague and injured another before taking his own life.
In March, an officer from Kisii also shot two of his colleagues where one died and the other sustained serious injuries after an argument.
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