Man Drowns in Attempt to Save Dying Sister

A 30-year-old man identified as Waciuri Nderitu drowned as he attempted to save his sister after she jumped into Kiriti Dam in Gatundia, Laikipia County.The sister is reported to have jumped to her death after she got into an argument with her mother over a phone that she had been forbidden to use.In an attempt to save his sister, Waciuri is reported to have jumped straight into the dam, but also drowned. Police and members of the public outside UNHCR offices in Westlands where a Ugandan refugee committed suicide on April 13, 2020.The Star Area County Commissioner Hezron Nyamberi confirmed the incident stating that the high school student had left behind a suicide note.”She jumped into a nearby dam and efforts by her elder brother to save her were futile as he also drowned,” Nyamberi stated while advising youth against taking drastic actions.The long holiday owing to COVID-19 restrictions put in place has left many children, teachers and even parents battling depression, with cases of suicide hitting a crescendo. One of the most recent cases involved a headteacher whose body was found dangling from the roof of a staffroom.During the World Suicide Prevention Day, Health CAS Dr Rashid Aman stated that the suicide rate had increased by 58% between 2008 and 2017 with an average of 317 cases reported each year.The CAS added that individual battling mental health challenges during a crisis like Covid-1, are likely to experience anxiety, hopelessness, difficulty in sleeping, anger among other feelings. “We are considering setting up a tele-counseling psychiatry which will also have a call centre that will have suicide prevention hotline numbers that Kenyans can call into and receive counselling and guidance,” Aman stated.WHO reports that 800,000 people kill themselves yearly worldwide, which means that 1 person commits suicide every 40 seconds!Even more shocking is the fact that suicide has been singled out as the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.While cases of suicide are poorly recorded in Kenya, the upsurge in the coverage of suicide-related deaths is an important indicator of the urgency with which resources ought to be deployed to reduce these otherwise preventable deaths.