• Man found hanging from the rafters of his water containers store.
A water vendor in Mwingi town committed suicide on Wednesday night following a misunderstanding with his lover.
Joseph Mutemi, 35, is said to have engaged in a fist fight with his 40-year-old lover Dorcas Munanie at their house in the town before taking off on his motorbike.
He was found minutes later hanging from the rafters of his water containers store.
According to a police statement recorded by Munanie, the man had earlier threatened to commit suicide and when she received the call, she realised he had actualised his words.
Mwingi sub-county deputy police commander Nicholas Mutua said that investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the motive behind the incident.
The man’s body was taken to Mwingi Level 4 hospital mortuary.
Suicide cases in Kenya have been rising in recent years with the majority of youths taking their own lives due to various reasons.
According to a study conducted six months ago by the University of Texas, the key causes of suicide among Kenyan men are low self-esteem and loneliness.
Researchers said that greater resources needed to be dedicated to mental health awareness in Kenya to reduce alarming suicide rates.
According to the World Health Organization, close to 800,000 people commit suicide every year, which translates to one person dying in every 40 seconds with more men taking their own lives compared to women.
WHO also cites depression as a major cause of suicide.
The World Population Review ranks Kenya at position 114 among 175 with the highest suicide rates.
(Edited by O. Owino)