The terror on the ground:On February 11, 2025, Kenya awoke to a tale that sent shivers down the spines of many.In Githogoro, close to Runda, a woman named Monica is said to have suffocated her three children using bed sheets before taking her own life.
She left an eight-page letter behind.
Her spouse, coming back from a night shift, discovered the motionless bodies and sounded the alarm. Residents arrived, followed by the police, but all they encountered was devastation.
Just three months later, in May 2025, law enforcement documented several possible suicides nationwide on one day.
In the Kahawa West area of Nairobi, 28-year-old Henry Ndika was discovered deceased in his locked residence.
In Nyeri, the body of 34-year-old Winfred Wangari was found at her residence.
In Baringo, a 55-year-old woman named Cecilia Ruto was discovered hanging from a tree.
In Migori, 25-year-old Julius Magina was discovered hanging inside the residence.
And only a few weeks back, on September 22, 2025, the remains of 34-year-old Aisha Kajuju were discovered in Mihango, Nairobi.
She secured her home with tape and damp clothing before igniting a jiko. This marked her third effort. This time, she managed to succeed.
These are not far-off news stories. They are our neighbors, our friends, our families.
Every week, Kenyan newspapers report these troubling stories. Each loss is a cry in the night, and still, we continue as if it were unavoidable.
Suicide Global picture
Over 700,000 individuals pass away by suicide annually, as reported by theWorld Health Organization (WHO)That amounts to one individual every 40 seconds.
In Kenya, the Ministry of Health reports approximately four deaths each day, and these are just the cases that have been documented.
Suicide has become the fourth most common cause of death for young individuals.
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Men are more significantly impacted; almost three-quarters of cases involve males, ranging from teenagers to older adults.
The World Bank reports that Kenya has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people, which is greater than that of India and Mexico. Males are most affected, with 9.1 cases per 100,000, while females have a rate of 3.1.
This is not by chance. It is a national crisis that is visible to all.
In a culture that values faith and togetherness, why has hopelessness become so widespread?
How can a country filled with churches, mosques, community groups, and families that prioritize their households result in so many isolated deaths?
Root Causes
The reasons are not complicated.
They appear in our news stories and within our homes.
Mental health issues, when left unaddressed and concealed, worsen due to the high cost of therapy, a limited number of psychiatrists, and widespread social prejudice.
Depression is often brushed off as “laziness.” Anxiety is ridiculed. Trauma is kept quiet.
Extreme financial hardship pushes numerous individuals to their limits.
When a father is unable to support his family, when a young graduate submits resumes for years without any response, when financial burdens become overwhelming and hustling can no longer keep things afloat, suicide seems like the only escape.
Poverty is more than a number; it’s a constant source of shame that erodes self-respect.
Drug abuse accelerates the cycle.
Low-cost alcohol and narcotics temporarily ease the suffering but intensify the emptiness. And once the effects wear off, the noose or poison remains.
Family and relationship failures contribute to the turmoil.
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Issues such as domestic abuse, land conflicts, divorces, and gender-related disagreements frequently appear in police records.
These personal disappointments hurt the most as they occur in the places where individuals seek comfort.
Then there is the harshness of the law itself.
Before 2023, Kenya had laws that made attempting suicide a criminal offense.
Picture waking up in a medical facility following an attempt to take your own life, only to find yourself restrained with handcuffs. This is not about prevention; it’s an act of harshness disguised as legal action.
Kenya’s structural failures
This goes beyond people making dire decisions. It concerns a system that leaves its citizens behind.
Kenya has less than 100 psychiatrists serving a population of 50 million.
Therapists are mainly found in urban areas.
Rural areas are left with preachers, traditional healers, and quietness.
Schools lack mental health initiatives. Workplaces view stress as a sign of frailty.
Our public health system gives minimal attention to mental health.
Religious institutions promote optimism but overlook the despair present among their congregants.
Politicians display fake tears when a tragedy becomes widely shared online, then quickly shift their focus to the next campaign event.
The hypocrisy is unbearable.
We emphasize “family first,” but families often reject children who don’t perform well on tests, women who can’t have children, or men who can’t support them.
We celebrate male strength, yet ridicule men when they show emotions. We quote scripture about support, yet criticize those who ask for assistance.
Hope
In 2023, Judge Lawrence Mugambi invalidated Section 226 of the Penal Code, ruling that it was unconstitutional to prosecute attempted suicide.
Physicians such as Dr. Julius Ogato from Mathari Hospital highlight that, similar to diabetes being caused by an insulin imbalance, suicidal thoughts stem from a chemical imbalance. These conditions demand compassion, care, and assistance, rather than judgment.
Kenya’s Suicide Prevention Plan (2021–2026) recognizes the severity of the issue. Support lines are available: Befrienders Kenya (+254 722 178 177), Red Cross (1199).
These are significant, but how many young people in rural areas know about them? How many can afford the cost of calling when making a call is considered a luxury?
The demands
Every data point is a tomb.
Each “case file” represents a father, a mother, a child, or a neighbor. And each death serves as a condemnation of our silence.
We inter the deceased, express sympathy, continue forward, and anticipate the next death notice.
Kenya can no longer sustain this cycle.
We can’t continue criticizing hopelessness without putting much effort into mental health.
We can’t pretend to be spiritual and focused on the community while avoiding those who need the most kindness.
We cannot act as if suicide stems from “personal weakness” when it truly reflects our country’s shortcomings.
Kenya needs to address its suicide problem as a critical national issue.
This has nothing to do with awareness days or social media tags.
It focuses on financing mental health services, employing experts in each county, incorporating therapy into schools, and establishing local support networks.
It focuses on generating employment, alleviating financial hardship, and viewing poverty as a form of suicide prevention.
We need to address our cultural double standards. Cease condemning men for showing vulnerability, stop suppressing those who have experienced abuse, and stop ignoring the problem with mere prayers and empty words. Belief without real change is meaningless.
Kenya can no longer criminalize sorrow, express sympathy in hushed tones, and continue as before.
Each act of suicide serves as a condemnation.
Each passing is a query we continuously avoid addressing. And should we continue to overlook it, the burial grounds will continue to grow.
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