Strathmore student dies after jumping from Syokimau shopping mall roof
Police in Syokimau, Machakos County, are investigating circumstances surrounding the death of a 22-year-old student of Strathmore University.
The 22-year-old student, identified as Basil Nyaga, is reported to have gone to Gateway Mall in Syokimau, where he climbed up to the fifth floor and jumped down. According to reports, he died instantly.
Mall management confirmed the demise of the student who took a suicide leap from the rooftop to the ground floor.
At the time of the incident, the student is said to have been alone.
The real motive behind his decision leading to this fatal tragedy remains unclear.
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His body was transported to Montezuma Funeral Home as police officers launched investigations.
This incident adds to the mounting concern regarding the rising number of college students who resort to suicide.
As a result, mental health specialists are now sounding the alarm. Last month, a second-year student at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) student jumped from an unfinished five-story building within the institution.
His lifeless body was spotted near the building by close friends who were concerned about his unexpected absence from the morning classes.
In June, a 23-year-old Chuka University student died by suicide inside his girlfriend’s rental house at Kangaru village in Embu County.
The student’s body was reportedly found by the girl who was out attending a lecture when he took his own life.
The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022 reveals that men aged 15-49 experience depression at a rate of 3 percent. Men between the ages of 18 and 25 face a 6 percent suicide rate, while women in the same age group experience a 4 percent rate.
The primary factors contributing to these statistics among young people are poverty, joblessness, losing a loved one, drugs, and relationship problems.
Counseling, medicine, and psychology professionals strongly recommend seeking assistance whenever one encounters mental health challenges.
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