Police in Nairobi have launched an investigation after an officer allegedly died after shooting himself in the head at his residence in Embakasi, Nairobi.

Police authorities said Constable Austin Owiti Oyuech Shariff, an administrative police officer attached to the close protection unit, shot himself in the head on Thursday morning.

The motive for the shooting is not yet known. Police said they were investigating.

Shariff, 43, is a former bodyguard to many government officials and was currently guarding Embakasi West Member of Parliament Mark Mwenje and is said to have shot himself despite those close to him saying he had not shown any sign of distress.

Mr Mwenje said he was aware of the incident and that they were investigating to find out more.

"It is sad that this has happened and we are also investigating," Mr Mwenje said.

Shariff, who was on leave, spent most of Wednesday with his friends in the neighbourhood, where they had drinks before going home at night and waking up as usual before he reportedly grabbed his gun and shot himself.

Police took the body to the mortuary for an autopsy and other procedures.

Shariff will be buried on Friday at his family home in Seme, Kisumu County, in accordance with his Muslim religion.

Shariff’s death follows the tragic incident involving Tom Adala, an Assistant Director at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) headquarters in Ruaraka, who died by suicide in June.

A note recovered from his house, written in a black notebook, revealed that Adala had been struggling with various issues, one being his ongoing divorce with his estranged wife.

In the book, Adala complained about his marital issues stating that nobody should be blamed for his death. According to preliminary reports, he had separated with his wife and the couple was going through a divorce.

Furthermore, Adala also asked that his children who live with his estranged wife be visiting his grave when he is gone.

“Nobody should be blamed for this,” the deceased said in the note.

At the same time, Adala’s colleagues revealed that the separation had taken a toll on him, causing a lot of stress and pain.

However, they indicated that the situation worsened when the NIS officer was transferred to his new station as the head of the Counter-Extremism Violence Unit during recent staff changes.

They visited Adala at his home to encourage him, but he had his mind set on resigning.