Police are investigating the death of a 31-year-old medical doctor whose body was found at her house in Lang’ata.
Dr. Esther Waceke Munyua’s body was found lying beside empty cans of alcohol and a suicide note written “depression is real”.
Munyua was attached to the St Mary’s Hospital and had earlier been rescued from another suicide attempt as her family confirmed that she had been battling depression for a while.
Her body was moved to the mortuary awaiting an autopsy.
Munyua’s case is among many suicide cases reported in the country.
Mental ill-health and warped notions of masculinity have been ranked among reasons for rise of nearly 50% suicide cases annually.
Data from the World Bank puts suicide mortality rates in Kenya at 6.1 people in every 100,000 with men being in the highest risk category, with 9.1 men in every 100,000 affected.
A report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship breakup or chronic pain and illness.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) research, structural determinants of mental ill-health such as extreme poverty, lack of access of empowerment opportunities and discrimination increase the likelihood of individuals committing suicide.