Officials were Thursday searching for the body of a police officer who died by suicide in a waterfall in Nyeri County.

Constable Dennis Githinji is said to have jumped into the Ndomboche waterfalls after he had thrown his mobile phone into the same place on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said he was in the company of two of his friends when the incident happened.

It is not clear what motivated the officer into the tragedy.

Officials from the county fire brigade camped at the site to retrieve the body on Wednesday evening.

The mission was expected to resume Thursday morning, officials said.

This is the latest incident of suicide in the service.

Police suicides have been on the rise and most are blamed on stress and work-related trauma.

As part of efforts to address the problem, authorities have started a counselling programme for the officers.

The National Police Service Commission announced it had established the counselling unit to evaluate, design, and lead an outreach programme to deal with mental health problems and substance abuse.

The programme also helps police families and others affected by mental health problems, substance abuse and trauma. Officials say the government, the National Police Service and the Prisons Service have enhanced counselling and medical help for officers.

There is a deliberate drive to destigmatise mental illness and stress and to actively reach out to potential cases, including through the Nyumba Kumi initiative, officials say.

The World Health Organisation says such cases are attributed to joblessness, the breakup of relationships or a death, academic failures or pressures.

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

Globally, close to 800,000 people die of suicide every year with an estimated 78 per cent of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.