A police officer committed suicide in Mombasa Thursday, citing stress and debts amounting to Sh81,000 which he was not able to pay.
The officer, whose identity has not been released left a suicide note, detailing the debts he owed people and asked his colleagues to form a WhatsApp group, contribute money after his death and pay his debts for him. He was based at the Changamwe Police station.
In the three-page note, the debts for three people range from Sh50,000, Sh4,000, Sh2,000 and Sh1,000, all owed to four people.
“Naomba kama mtaform a Whatsapp group ya mchango, please out of that contribution submit Sh24,000 to Sgt Maina,” the notes reads in part.
He also wrote to his boss asking him not to investigate his death. “just pick me and send me home,” he said in the note.
His body was found dangling from the roof of his house, with a bag containing his uniform and other clothes neatly arranged in one corner.
He asked his boss to take the police uniform and distribute his civilian clothes to whoever will require them.
To his family, the officer named all his four children, telling them, “nawapenda sana japo singeweza kuwaaga, lakini siku moja tutakutana tena. Msome kwa bidii. “I love you but I was not able to say goodbye, we will meet one day. Work had in school.”
The officer committed suicide just a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta urged officers to always seek alternative solutions to challenges facing them, as opposed to taking the gun or committing suicide following the killing of 6 people in Kabete, Nairobi where a police officer committed suicide after shooting his wife and five people dead.
Kenyatta said that just like any other person, a police officer was faced with challenges in life which have solutions, and admitted mental illness was a serious challenge.
Cases of suicide among police officers are common in Kenya, with some officers resorting to killing their spouses.
