A man who tried to commit suicide twice has finally managed to kill himself. Alfred Onyango died on Wednesday after consuming a bottle of pesticide. According to his brother, Martin Oduor, the 27-year-old kept to himself.
His death came a day after Kenya marked the World Suicide Prevention Day. A neighbour said Mr Onyango had earlier had an argument with a relative who had scolded him about his drinking habits.
In another incident, police in Kisumu are holding a man who tried to commit suicide, alleging that his wife was cheating on him.
Kenya marked World Suicide Prevention Day along with other countries, to create awareness that such deaths can be prevented.To do this,it is said that the first thing when handling a person with an imminent threat of suicide is to ask them if there are people they trust close to them they can talk to. The goal is to get them help and out of harm’s way, and to get them to a health facility as soon as possible.
If there is no imminent harm, the person can be screened for depression, which is one of the major contributors to suicide, and if the person is diagnosed with depression or any other mental illness, they can be put on treatment.