Residents of Kawarwai village in Rachuonyo West, Homa Bay County, are struggling to come to terms with a heart-wrenching incident involving a police officer who killed his two children and a nephew before taking his own life.
The officer, identified as Constable David Okebe Goga, was attached to Marsabit Police Station. He is said to have returned home three weeks ago and committed the shocking act on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at his rural home in Kakdhimu East Location, Kawiti Sub-location.
According to police reports, Goga poisoned the children before hanging himself in the sitting room using a sisal rope. The children were identified as Eden Hazard Okebe, 6, Trezy Nicole Okebe, 5, and Seth Odeka, also 5, who was his nephew.
A suicide note believed to have been written by the officer was found at the scene. In it, he gave instructions on how he wanted his children to be buried. Detectives are now working to confirm whether he was indeed the author of the note.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem said initial findings point to domestic issues as a possible trigger.
“The deceased has been having domestic issues and that could be the cause of the suicide. We don’t know what was used. That will be established through postmortem and toxicology tests,” the police commander said.
Collins Goga, the deceased officer’s brother, revealed that unresolved family conflicts may have contributed to the incident. He said his brother had been seeking advice due to continued disputes that had not been resolved.
“Due to family issues that were accumulated and were not able to be solved from either of the sides, especially from in-laws, he sought advice from,” Collins Goga told the press.
Another brother, Fred Ochieng, said David had visited him on Saturday and mentioned that he was going to check on their sick mother in the hospital.
“He told me on Saturday that he was going to visit our ailing mother in hospital. It wasn’t easy to tell he was troubled. There was nothing suspicious,” Ochieng said.
Each month, at least three police officers die by suicide across the country. Experts estimate that around 60 officers take their own lives annually, highlighting a crisis that continues to grow.