Another Police Recruit Dies During Training

Police are investigating the death of a recruit who collapsed during a routine morning physical training session at the National Police Service training facility in Kiganjo, Nyeri County, Kenya.

The recruit was 23-year-old Alfas Kimutai Kiptoo and was part of a group of recruits taking part in a morning physical fitness run along the Kahawa section of Kiganjo-King’ongo Road when he collapsed and lost consciousness on February 6, 2026.

Training officers immediately began administering first aid to Kiptoo and transported him to the medical dispensary located at the training campus before he was transferred to Mathari Mission Hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival by the doctors, as indicated in the police report.

The authorities informed the family of the deceased and transferred the body to the mortuary of a nearby hospital, where it will stay awaiting autopsy and other processes to ascertain the actual cause of death.

Fourth Recruit Fatality Since December 2025

This incident is the fourth recruit death since the training cycle started last December 2025, and it raises pertinent issues regarding medical evaluation, training demands, and response to emergencies within Kenya’s security training academies.

A police recruit at the General Service Unit Field Campus in Magadi, Kajiado County, collapsed last week and was rushed first to Magadi Hospital and then referred to Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Authorities identified the recruit as Cheme Chombo Cheme, who lost consciousness during a training exercise on January 31, 2026.

At the same institution, another recruit died on January 18, 2026, at the Administration Police Training College A-Campus in Embakasi, Nairobi, after complaining of chest pain, dizziness, persistent cough, and fatigue before his condition worsened.

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New Training-Related Deaths Cause More Alarms

Apart from police training schools, similar tragedies have been reported even in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

Three KDF recruits were reported dead on January 29, 2026, at the Defence Forces Recruits Training School (DFRTS) located in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, due to medical complications arising from a scheduled endurance exercise.

In their press release, the military in Kenya claimed that the recruits were handled by medical staff on site as well as taken to the Eldoret Regional Hospital for further medical attention.

However, despite the efforts of medical staff, it was established that the three were deceased.

“The recruits developed medical complications while participating in a routine endurance exercise, and scrutiny has been set to establish the circumstances and any measures that need to be taken to enhance the safety of the recruits.”

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Growing Public Concern and Calls for Review

The recent cluster of deaths of recruits in security-related training programs has caught the attention and concern of the general public.

Safety advocates, human rights bodies, and the families of the deceased victims have recommended that more stringent health checks be carried out as a prerequisite, as well as stronger health support systems in all training entities.

However, police and military authorities claim that the investigations are still in progress, with the intention of sharing the findings of their investigations once postmortem examinations are through, to prevent more tragedy in Kenya’s national security training programs.

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