Probe as KDF soldier found dead with slit throat at Marsabit Operation Base

A team is investigating an incident where a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier was found dead with his throat slit at an operation base in Marsabit County in an incident being investigated as a suspected murder or suicide.

The deceased was identified as Corporal Kelvin Thuku.

The incident was reported on September 27, 2026, after fellow military personnel raised the alarm.

According to officials, Thuku had failed to answer several phone calls from his colleague, who subsequently went to check on him at the Karare Forward Operation Base.

The colleague reportedly found Thuku lying in a pool of blood with a deep wound to his throat.

Police and the Military Police visited the scene alongside the operation base’s medical officer, who pronounced Thuku dead.

The scene was processed and documented.

A blood-stained military knife, suspected to have been used to inflict the fatal injury, was recovered at the scene together with the deceased’s mobile phone.

Thuku’s body was moved to Marsabit County Referral Hospital Mortuary, where it was preserved pending a postmortem examination.

Police and military authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death to establish what happened and determine whether the incident was suicide or involved another person.

Like police officers and other members of the disciplined forces, dozens of soldiers have died as a result of suicide in a trend that is attributed to stress at work.

Officials say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.

They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk.

Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.

The World Health Organisation says such cases are attributed to joblessness, death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial difficulties.

Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.

The government says efforts are being made to address the menace. Several agencies have created counseling sections to address the menace in their departments. They have also hired counselors to manage the sections as the cases spike at an alarming rate.

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