In a rather shocking story, a 19-year-old man on Thursday night committed suicide in Kitwii village, Kangundo, Machakos County.
The man’s body was found dangling from the roof of his liquor shop.
David Muli, Kiiwtii location chief confirmed the saddening incident on phone.
He said that no one knows why the young man decided to take his life.
“At home, his people waited for him to close his wines and spirits shop and come home to no avail. At around 10 am on Friday morning, his body was discovered in his shop,” said Chief Muli.
“He had locked the door from inside so it had to be broken for access, “he added.
Muli said that there are high chances the young man had been troubled for him to choose to commit suicide.
He asked parents to engage their children once in a while to break the wall between them.
“Parents should make themselves available and accessible so that their children can approach them in case they are burdened by issues, “he said.
The body of the young man was taken to Kangundo hospital mortuary.
This comes days after shock gripped Nyatike residents in Migori County after they learnt of the death of one of their children.
A Class Eight Soprangenya Primary School pupil’s body was found by herders hanging from a rope on a tree a few kilometers from the school.
It is established that the boy, who had just sat his end of term examinations, left school for lunch with other pupils but did not return.
While further investigations have been launched into the case, it is yet to be discovered why the pupil would commit suicide.
The body was moved to Lake Side Hospital mortuary.
The number of suicides reported in Kenya rose by 58 per cent between 2008 and 2017 to reach 421, official data reveal.
Although the number of suicide cases has been rising since 2008, the data show the lowest incidents were recorded in 2010 at 75 cases.
The report also shows that more men are likely to commit suicide than women. Out of the 421 suicide cases in 2017, 330 involved men.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that close to 800,000 people commit suicide every year, which means one person every 40 seconds. Many more attempt suicide, WHO adds.
The World Population Review ranks Kenya at position 114 among 175 countries with the highest suicide rate.
The world Population Review in its survey states that Kenya’s suicide rate is at least 6.5 suicides per 100,000 people, a figure echoed by World Health Organisation.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth in the 15-29 age bracket.
Besides depression, other risk factors include access to firearms, physical or sexual abuse, unemployment, strained relationships, imprisonment, chronic physical illness, financial difficulties, loneliness and exposure to the suicidal behaviour of others.
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