Silverio Omari
On Sunday, a Burundian national collapsed at the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) offices on Kasuku Road, off Lenana Road. Police reported receiving information about an individual who had fainted within the office premises. Upon arriving, they found 18-year-old Leonard Habimana unconscious on the floor.
Habimana, who had identified himself as a Burundian refugee registered with the UNHCR, reportedly collapsed suddenly. A search of his belongings uncovered an open sachet of rat poison containing remnants of the substance, along with a water bottle containing a dark liquid that appeared to be a mixture of water and the poison.
Paramedics provided initial care before he was transferred to Mbagathi District Hospital for further treatment. He was reportedly in stable condition.
In another incident in Ahenyo village, Kisumu, police reported that 39-year-old Maurice Omondi Onyango died by suicide on Saturday, using a sisal rope to hang himself from a tree. No suicide note was found, and his body was moved to JOOTRH mortuary for a postmortem.
A similar case was reported in Kieni East, Nyeri County, where 53-year-old Paul Maina Gakuru also died by suicide. Police believe he may have ingested herbicides (Rocket 44EC and Bestox) before using a sisal rope to hang himself. His body was transferred to Mary Immaculate Hospital Mortuary in Mweiga for an autopsy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 703,000 people die by suicide each year, making it the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29. WHO attributes these tragedies to factors such as unemployment, bereavement, academic pressures, legal or financial issues, bullying, history of suicide in the family, previous attempts, and mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disorder.
Dj Vnyash
