AFRICA

ALARM AS KENYA RECORDS 483 SUICIDE CASES IN THREE MONTHS

ALARM AS KENYA RECORDS 483 SUICIDE CASES IN THREE MONTHS
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 By Faith Nyasuguta 

Some 483 people committed suicide in Kenya in the last three months, police data has shown.

Following this, the nation’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has urged the government to launch a research on the root cause of the rising suicide levels.

“We have never recorded such a high number of suicides before and this is not only alarming but calls for urgent remedial measures,” DCI chief George Kinoti said.

Similarly, data shows that Kenya recorded some 409 cases of life-threatening assaults in the three months, mostly among couples.

Just like in previous years, findings show that men are more susceptible to committing suicide than women.

The oldest suicide victim was 76 years whereas the youngest was nine years old.

For the nine-year-old, it is suspected that he took his life after being scolded by his parents for poor performance.

The data shows a sharp rise noting that in 2019, Kenya reported a total of 196 suicide cases, according to the 

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Annual crime reports by the nation’s police service further confirm that 1442 people were reported to have attempted suicide between 2015 and 2018.

An adult and child psychologist, Gladys Chania, confirmed that high life expectations in areas such as career, education, businesses and failed relationships have taken a toll on people’s mental health.

She adds that failed business ventures, job losses among others trigger high depression levels that could lead to suicides.

“Financial hardships, failed marriages and illnesses have left many people hopeless. When people have no hope in life, they can end their lives,” she noted. 

The psychologist emphasizes that lately there have been cases of successful people committing suicide over failed relationships and even living beyond their means.

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Faith Nyasuguta

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