Villagers in Naivasha appeal for help to end youth suicides

According to Samuel Wambugu, a community leader, that was the fifth case of suicide in Kwa-White village, Naivasha, in a span of two months.PHOTO:COURTESY

Residents of Maraigushu trading centre in Naivasha are in shock after a 14-year-old girl committed suicide in her parents' house.

The teenager, who sat the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations last year and was waiting to join secondary school this year, was found hanging from the roof in one of the rooms in the family home.

The body was found by her mother.

According to Samuel Wambugu, a community leader, that was the fifth case of suicide in Kwa-White village, Naivasha, in a span of two months.

Residents said the girl was living with her sister and had gone back home a few days earlier to visit her parents.

"She was depressed because her parents could not afford the schools fees and she could not join secondary school," said Mr Wambugu.

He expressed concern about the growing number of suicide cases in the village, mostly among the youth, saying it was a sign of a deeper problem. Most of the reported suicide cases, he said, were borne out of joblessness and family quarrels.

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"We have seen a trend in this area where young people who have failed to find jobs or have fallen out with their families are taking their own lives," he said.

Last year, a university graduate in the village committed suicide after failing to find a job for three years.

"Our youths need counselling. The rate at which they are killing themselves is worrying," said Wambugu.

In most cases, the youths did not leave a suicide note.

In the nearby Kijabe centre, a 30-year-old man was recently found hanging from a tree.

According to Susan Waithera, a witness, the suicide was puzzling because the man had not displayed or verbally expressed any signs of trouble.

"We were shocked when we stumbled on his body," said Ms Waithera.

Both bodies are lying at a mortuary in Naivasha.