•Police said his relatives were informed and when they went to check on him on February 20, they found his body dangling on the frame of a bathroom with an electric cable tied around his neck.
• Police arrived and moved the body to the mortuary pending autopsy.
Image: THE STAR
A hospital attendant at the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Nairobi was found dead in his house in the Umoja Three area after a suspected suicide incident.
Peter Maina Ngima, 34 and who worked at the hospital as a patient attendant was found dead a day after he had failed to report to work.
He had not reported on duty on Monday, February 19 and he could not be traced through his mobile phone.
Police said his relatives were informed and when they went to check on him on February 20, they found his body dangling on the frame of a bathroom with an electric cable tied around his neck.
The security officers arrived and moved the body to the mortuary pending autopsy.
Police say they are investigating the tragedy.
In Kasinga sublocation, Machakos county, one Julius Ndolo Mbuthe aged 66 years died by suicide by hanging himself in the bedroom of his house using a sisal rope.
A suicide note was also recovered in which he stated that he took his life due to the problems he was undergoing, police said.
The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy.
In Kakui village, Kilome a 17-year-old boy died by suicide by hanging himself using a manila rope.
His body was found hanging from a branch of a tree.
A suicide note was recovered which highlighted various reasons why the minor had committed suicide.
The details of the note were not disclosed. The body was removed to the Kilungu subcounty hospital mortuary waiting for postmortem.
Cases of suicide have been on the rise in separate parts of the country amid calls to address the trend.
The government and other agencies are making efforts to address the issue.
Most victims are men, the trend shows.
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 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.
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.
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 prioritise mental health as a priority public health and socioeconomic agenda.
It recommended that mental health be provided with adequate financing in line with international best practice
In Kenya, it is estimated that one in every 10 people suffer from a common mental disorder.
The number increases to one in every four people among patients attending routine outpatient services.