- Six other suicide incidents were reported in separate places in the country, police said
- The Ministry of Health to declare mental health a national public health emergency to stop runaway cases of suicide.
Image: THE STAR
Police are investigating an incident in which a 13-year-old girl and Standard six pupil died by suicide in their house in Kibra, Nairobi.
The girl is said to have used a bed sheet to take her life on Tuesday, police said.
She apparently tied the bed sheet on a roof truss to hang herself
The body was moved from the scene as investigations go on.
Her parents said they had gone wake her up when they stumbled on the body.
Kilimani police boss Muturi Mbogo said they are investigating the incident to establish the motive.
“We want to know what happened to motivate the incident."
The incident was the sixth to be reported to police on Tuesday. Other suicide incidents were reported Pangani, Kariene in Meru, California in Buruburu and Malindi.
The victims included a woman who died by hanging herself.
Police said they had recorded up to 20 cases of suicide in a week in different parts of the country.
This comes in the wake of a push by the Ministry of Health to declare mental health a national public health emergency to stop runaway cases of suicide.
The ministry also recommended that attempted suicide should be decriminalized in Kenya.
"While this may not directly reduce cases of people trying to kill themselves, it will reduce the stigma and encourage them to seek medical help instead," acting director general for health Patrick Amoth said.
Under Section 226 of the Penal Code, attempted suicide is a misdemeanour punishable by two years imprisonment or a fine or both.
Cases of suicide have been on the rise this year and authorities blame the trend on mental distress.
Police handled 499 cases in 2019 and 575 in 2020. At least 313 people are reported to have taken their lives between January and July 2021.
The majority of the victims were male, police reports say.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says such cases are attributed to joblessness, the breakup of relationships or a death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties, financial difficulties, bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.
A task force on mental health established Kenya has a high burden of mental illness due to ill health, psychosocial disability and premature mortality with huge gaps in access to care.
The team found out that the majority of populations in Kenya associate mental health and mental illness with negative narratives leading to a low focus on the importance and benefits of mental health and well-being.
The team also recommended that mental illness be declared a national emergency of epidemic proportions, to prioritize mental health as a priority public health and socioeconomic agenda.