Man commits suicide at Qwetu hostel
A man is reported to have committed suicide at the Qwetu apartments located along the United States International University (USIU) road in Nairobi on Sunday.
A police report seen by this reporter revealed the deceased was in the company of his parents’ and had traveled from Nanyuki to Nairobi ahead of an appointment.
The trio then decided to visit their daughter who lives at the Qwetu Apartments when the worse happened.
“Upon arrival in Nairobi, they went to their daughter’s house at Qwetu apartments located along USIU road to rest ahead of the appointment. The son went to the balcony located on the seventh floor and jumped to the ground,” the report filed at Kasarani police station under OB number 82/11/04/2022 read in part.
The report further revealed that the family members of the deceased rushed to the ground floor of the building only to find out that had already died.
The scene was visited by duty officers and it was established that the deceased has been suffering mentally for the last three years.
“The scene was processed and the body was moved to the Kenyatta University morgue pending post mortem,” the report further read.
A number of Kenyans are suffering from mental illness with a study showing that one out of ten Kenyans suffered from a common mental disorder.
In 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the formation of a task force that was tasked with studying the status of mental health in the country and then later recommend solutions to deal with it.
It emerged that depression and anxiety disorders were the leading mental illnesses diagnosed in Kenya. The two were followed by substance use disorders.
The task force then recommended that the government establishes a mental health commission and happiness which will be tasked with advising, coordinating, and continuously monitoring the status of mental health and report their findings on the annual National Happiness Index.