Body of KDF officer found hanging from a tree in Gilgil

Police in Gilgil are investigating an incident where the body of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer was found hanging from a tree along the Gilgil-Nyahururu road.

The body of the 57-year-old soldier, who was dressed in civilian clothes, was discovered by residents before they alerted police.

Residents suspected that the officer died by suicide, but police said that only a postmortem would confirm the cause of death.

A witness, Samson Mwaura, said that the body was found hanging from a tree near the Gilgil railway line in the morning by workers heading to work.

“At first, no one knew who he was or the motive behind the suicide, but police discovered that he was an army officer from one of the barracks in this town,” he said.

Gilgil Sub-county Winstone Mwakio said the removed and taken to the local mortuary.

“We cannot ascertain if it's suicide until a postmortem is done, and we have opened an inquest file as part of our investigations,” he said.

Meanwhile, police in Naivasha are holding a 23-year-old woman after she allegedly assaulted her five-year-old son, leading to his death.

The officers are also pursuing the suspect’s boyfriend, who has gone missing after the incident in Sanctuary village along Moi South Lake road.

The woman was arrested minutes after the minor succumbed to the injuries at Naivasha sub-county hospital, where he had been rushed for treatment.

Naivasha DCIO Isaac Kiama said that initial investigations indicated that the minor had been beaten with a blunt object before being taken to the hospital.

“The medics suspected something was amiss and informed our officers, who in turn arrested the suspect and have launched a manhunt for the boyfriend,” he said.