A postmortem has ruled out suicide as the likely cause of death of a newly graduated police officer who was shot dead at a training camp in Kitui County, as investigators seek to establish what happened.
Government pathologist Dr Bernard Midia said Constable Raphael Ojiambo Smart died from a single gunshot wound to the chest that penetrated his upper lungs.
“The deceased died of a single penetrating gunshot wound to the chest. The wound went through to the collarbone and punctured the upper part of the lungs,” Midia said at Chiromo Mortuary.
He said the findings made it unlikely that Ojiambo had shot himself during the incident at the Wikithuki Border Patrol Unit (BPU) Training Camp in Tseikuru.
“This is unlikely to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It is unlikely to have been a suicidal attempt, and we have taken specimens and samples to investigate further and probably rule out a suicidal attempt,” he said.
Midia added that bullet fragments had been retrieved from the back of the chest and submitted for ballistic examination.
The postmortem comes as investigations continue into the fatal shooting on Sunday, October 25, involving Ojiambo and a fellow officer who graduated with him from the Administration Police Campus in Embakasi about two months ago.
The two had been selected to join the elite Border Police Unit.
The alleged suspect fled immediately after the shooting but was later arrested in the same area. He is being held pending arraignment for murder.
Ojiambo’s family is demanding justice, with one relative claiming that injuries on his hand suggested he may have been tortured before his death. The cause of those injuries has not been established.
The family also said they were informed that the two officers had disagreed over a phone charger at the camp before the shooting.
Investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding the recovery of two G3 rifles at the scene, where no spent bullet casing was found.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is handling witnesses and evidence as part of the investigation.
One theory being investigated is that the suspect deliberately targeted a phone Ojiambo was using to record a video. The bullet allegedly penetrated the device before striking him in the chest.
Police recovered two mobile phones at the scene, one of which had been damaged by a bullet. Another phone was recovered from the suspect, and the devices are expected to undergo forensic analysis.
The investigation comes amid wider concerns about trauma and mental health challenges within the police service.
Police authorities have introduced counselling services, while the National Police Service Commission has established a unit to address officers’ mental health and substance abuse concerns.
The unit evaluates, designs and leads outreach programmes aimed at preventing mental health problems and substance abuse.
Police officers routinely respond to difficult situations while maintaining law and order, often putting their lives at risk. Trauma has been cited as one of the factors associated with deaths within the service.
The World Health Organisation identifies several factors associated with suicide risk, including unemployment, bereavement, academic and financial pressures, legal difficulties, bullying, previous suicide attempts, family history of suicide, alcohol and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.
