Cop misses work guarding High Court Judge’s home, found at lodging
A police officer deployed to guard High Court Judge Justice Charles Gitonga went missing on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, and was later found at a lodging in Narok Town.
Mr Alex Muchungu Gichaga went missing and efforts to trace him during the day bore no fruits as officers only found his mobile phone.
“It was reported by Mr Kennedy Mugambi attached to the Critical Infrastructure Police Unit (CIPU) headquarters that Mr Muchungu who was deployed on sentry duties at High Court Judge Justice Charles Gitonga’s residence went missing on September 13, 2022, at 0600hrs and was armed with a G3 rifle,” a police report filed at Narok Police Station read in part.
Police officers and sleuths attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) visited the home of Justice Gitonga and only managed to get his phone and his khaki shirt.
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It is then that the officers decided to trace Mr Muchungu who hails from Lamuria in Laikipia County.
The officer was later found in a lodging located within Narok Township and he was still having the firearm with him.
His seniors said that Mr Muchungu appeared to be stressed and when asked said he had family problems.
“The firearm has been kept in the armoury and disciplinary action to be taken against the officer,” the report further read.
Mental health is an issue amongst police officers in the country to an extent that it attracted the attention of Former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
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According to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), at least 12,000 police officers are facing mental health challenges out of work-related issues.
NPSC said that out of 110,000 police officers in the country 12 per cent of them had mental issues.
The commission has embarked on an ambitious programme to sensitise all police officers on trauma healing and psychological wellbeing as they fulfil their mandate of providing safety and security in the country.
The programme seeks to empower NPS officers at all levels, to enhance their sensitivity to issues of stress and trauma they routinely encounter in their professional and personal lives.
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