NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27- At least 500 people have committed suicide in the last three months across the country, new statistics have revealed.
A report by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) also indicate that another 409 people were seriously assaulted during the same period, between March and June 2021.
The country has also witnessed an increase in intimate partner killings and family-based crimes partly due to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health issues.
The data released by the DCI indicated that men were more prone to committing suicide than women. According to experts, more women are likely to try kill themselves but male suicide methods are often more violent, making them more likely to be completed before anyone can intervene.
Men are also conditioned by the society not to speak out or even cry, but with increased awareness, health experts say the trend can be reversed.
Another research by the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) revealed that most cases of killings and violence were perpetrated by men who have a family or are in intimate relationships.
Kiambu tops the list with the highest number of suicides, 109 cases, according to the data.
The youngest person reported to have committed suicide was nine years while the oldest was 76 years old.
Among the regions, Central Kenya leads with 181 cases followed by Rift Valley (68), Nyanza (67), Nairobi (63), Eastern (57), Western (29), Coast (14), and North Eastern (3)
Muranga county came second after Kiambu with 37 cases followed by Kisii (25), Kakamega (24), Nyeri (21), Kisumu (21), Embu (20) Uasin Gishu (18) while Nakuru, Makueni and Bomet recorded 17 cases each.
Others were Kericho (16), Nyandarua (14), Machakos (14), Narok (9), Meru (6), Mombasa (5) Busia (4), Laikipia (4), Taita Taveta (3), Wajir (3), Homabay (2), and Kwale (2).
Lamu, Bungoma, Siaya, Nakuru, Trans Nzoia and Tana River recorded one case each while the remaining counties did not record any case of suicide during the same period.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) these cases can be attributed to joblessness, breakup of a 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.
WHO also rates suicide as a serious global public health issue that is among the top 20 leading causes of death worldwide.
Globally, close to 800,000 people die of suicide every year with an estimated 78 per cent cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
Kenya ranks position 114 among the 175 countries with the highest suicide rates.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has since said the country is in the process of putting up a National Suicide Prevention Strategy and Programme (2021-2026), in line with the WHO guidelines.
“The rising cases, some of which have ended in suicide cases, have been a concern to the government,” Kagwe said.
“There are four public health facilities providing treatment and rehabilitation services for substance use disorders and in 14 county hospitals mental health units offering specialized mental healthcare.”
But Kenya’s situation is more complicated. According to a recent UN World Happiness Report, Kenyans are among the unhappiest people in the world.
The country is rated position 86, lower than Uganda and Ethiopia.
A taskforce on mental health led by Dr Frank Njenga, indicated that 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 low focus on the importance and benefits of mental health and well being.
“We are recommending the establishment of a mental health commission and happiness, to advise, coordinate and continuously monitor the status of mental health and report on the annual happiness index,” the taskforce said in a report handed over to President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2020.
Njenga, who is a psychiatrist, noted that the taskforce 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.
“We have also recommended that mental health be provided with adequate financing in line with international best practice,” he added.
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.
Depression and anxiety disorders are the leading mental illnesses diagnosed in Kenya, followed by substance use disorders. Among the different types of substances, alcohol contributes to the largest burden of substance use related illnesses in Kenya. Of great concern alcohol abuse is most prevalent in the 18-29-year-old age group.
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