Woman's body found hanging inside house
The woman's body was found hanging from the ceiling of her house on Wednesday morning.
What you need to know:
- Authorities said the woman, identified as Rebecca Chebusiit, may have killed herself.
- In Trans Mara East, a 16-year-old girl reportedly killed herself after differences with her stepfather.
The body of a 68-year-old woman was found hanging from the ceiling of her house on Wednesday morning. The incident took place in Zaire village, Sagamian location.
Narok South Deputy Commissioner Felix Kisalu said the woman, identified as Rebecca Chebusiit, may have killed herself.
It is the woman’s husband who found the body.
In Trans Mara East, a 16-year-old girl reportedly killed herself after differences with her stepfather.
The body of the Standard Seven pupil was found hanging from a tree on April 19.
Trans Mara East police boss David Maina said the teen was living with her stepfather at the time of her death.
Suspected suicide
“Suicides across Narok county, especially among teenagers, are on the rise. Early this year, a 13-year-old Std Three boy hanged himself after returning from school. His parents were evicted from Mau forest,” Mr Kisalu said.
In January, the body of a 15-year-old boy Std Seven pupil was found hanging from a tree by his parents. County Police Commander Kizito Mutoro said the boy did not leave any suicide note.
Nearly 20 university students in their early 20s killed themselves in Kenya between 2014 and 2018.
A 24-year-old Moi University student committed suicide in Enabelbel, Narok North sub-county, in December last year.
Dr Mary Karanja, a psychiatrist, attributes the rise in suicides to mental health issues, societal pressure and expectations fuelled by social media.
Suicide cases
“People are finding themselves dealing with problems on their own. The pressure to achieve certain goals is also leading to frustration,” Dr Karanja said.
At least 370 people have killed themselves in Kenya in the last six months, the Ministry of Health says, pointing to the gravity of mental health situation since the outbreak of Covid-19.
The report shows 93 cases were in central Kenya, with 87 being men. Nairobi accounts for more than 60 cases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 800,000 people die from suicide every year – or one person every 40 seconds. A majority are aged 15-29.
WHO data estimates that 1,408 people kill themselves in Kenya. In 2017, a WHO report ranked Kenya as the sixth African country and 117th globally with the highest levels of depression.
