Naivasha woman commits suicide after being diagnosed with breast cancer

A 40-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer has committed suicide in Naivasha hours after learning of her condition.

The woman hanged herself in her sister’s house in Kasarani Estate after travelling from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where she had gone for treatment.

Emotions ran high as her kin and friends tried to come to terms with the incident before police moved in to collect the body from the estate, which is home of tens of flower farmworkers.

The mother of two had been undergoing treatment in different hospitals before she was diagnosed with the disease.

Over the weekend, the country buried Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso and Kibra MP Ken Okoth who both succumbed to cancer.

 A neighbour Joyce Wangui said that the woman identified as Purity Muthoni had been living in Olkalau where she developed growth in one of her breasts.

“She started undergoing treatment in various hospitals and was misdiagnosed with other ailments until the final blow was delivered at her at KNH,” she said.

She said that the victim had been living with her sister who worked in one of the flower farms before deciding to take her life.

“She waited until the sister had gone to work before using a rope to commit suicide after telling her friends that she did not want to undergo the pain other cancer victims had gone,” she said.

Naivasha OCPD Samuel Waweru confirmed the incident adding that the body had been collected and taken to Naivasha Mortuary.

“According to the sister, the deceased received results that she was suffering from breast cancer and she went into depression before committing suicide,” he said.

Earlier, former chairman of the agriculture committee in parliament John Mututho attributed the increase in cases of cancer to eating of non-biodegradable components in the food.

Mututho warned that the lives of millions of Kenyans mainly those living in urban centres were in great danger due to dairy products that had high levels of chemical residue.

He questioned the origin of the evergreen vegetables being sold in the streets noting that majority of them had been grown in the sewer.

Mututho noted that food imports mainly from the Far East should be scrutinised keenly as they were a source of heavy metals that had adverse effects on health.

“The regulatory bodies mainly from the ministries of Health and Agriculture should wake up from their slumber and stop the importation and sale of these products,” he said.