Depressed Nairobi trader shoots himself in head as guard watches in horror

KENYA: A 57-year-old car dealer reportedly shot himself in the head as his watchman watched in horror in Nairobi's Kileleshwa.

Abdul Rasul reportedly called his guard to complain about "intruders in his body" at about 8am Monday. The businessman, a licensed gun holder, then whipped out his gun and shot himself once in the head.

Mr Rasul stayed alone in an apartment along Church Road. He had divorced his wife before she relocated to the UK where she lives with their children, guards at the apartment said.

Police were shocked to discover seven guns in his house.

Neighbours said Rasul has been unstable and disturbed since the divorce happened almost two years ago.

According to the guard, Rasul had summoned him to his house and asked him to order "intruders who were in his body to leave immediately or else he would shoot them".

And as the guard was trying to comprehend what Rasul was saying, he pulled out his pistol and shot himself in the head.

"He asked me to remove the intruders who were disturbing him or else he would shoot them. As I wondered what he was saying, I saw him reach for his gun and shoot himself once," said the guard.

The guard seemed to be in shock as he talked to police who arrived at the scene moments after the incident.

Ran out

He said after the shooting, he ran out as neighbours rushed to the scene eager to know what had happened.

Kilimani OCPD Peter Katam said Rasul had also called his friend and asked him to rush to his house to help him fight the said intruders.

"The friend says he Rasul to lock himself in the bedroom until he arrived thinking they were real intruders but on arrival he found him dead after having shot himself in the head," said Mr Katam.

Katam added that documents found in the house showed Rasul was under medication.

"He seemed to have a mental problem because he was also seeing counsellors and he was on medication," said Katam.

Police who arrived at the compound said they recovered two rifles, a revolver and four pistols from his bedroom. They all were loaded.

It is not clear what he was doing with the weapons inasmuch as he was a licensed gun holder.

The body was removed from the scene and it is set to be buried in accordance with Islam.

Cases of misuse of firearms by licensed holders are on the rise amid calls to regulate them.