Suicide this morning

Mwalimu-G

Elder Lister
SUICIDE MENACE
Tragedy as businessman shoots himself inside his car in Lang'ata
He was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital where he was declared dead upon arrival.
In Summary
  • Meli is a former military personnel and was a licensed gun holder, his family and police said.
  • His pistol was found in the car where he had shot himself and taken to safe custody, police said.
The late Abraham Meli who died by suicide on March 8 in Langata area-Handout
The late Abraham Meli who died by suicide on March 8 in Langata area-Handout
Police are investigating an incident in which a businessman shot and killed himself in his car, in what appears to be a suicide in Sunvalley estate, Lang'ata, Nairobi.
Abraham Meli had locked himself in his four-wheel drive car- a Prado- and suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The motive of the incident is yet to be known, police said.

Meli is a former military personnel and was a licensed gun holder, his family and police said.
He was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital where he was declared dead upon police arrival.
His pistol was found in the car where he had shot himself and taken to safe custody, police said.
Police said he had sent a text message to a relative reading “Sunvalley”. This is the same place he stayed.
Police said they are investigating the tragedy to determine the motive. His friends and family seek to understand the motivation behind his actions.
His body was transported to the mortuary awaiting autopsy. Police said they are now treating the incident as a suicide.
This marks the most recent reported case of suicide.

A similar incident happened at the Matter Hospital where a businessman waiting to be attended to at the emergency section shot himself in the head and died.
He was also a licensed gun holder. The case is pending under probe.
Police say cases of suicide have been on the rise amid calls for action to address the same.
There were 174 cases of suicide reported in 2020 as compared to 196 in 2019, 302 in 2018, 421 in 2017 and 302 in 2016. The majority of the victims were male, police reports say.
Police say the trend has been worrying and increasing as up to two cases are reported daily.
The World Health Organisation says such cases are attributed to joblessness, death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial difficulties.
Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.
WHO rates suicide as a serious global public health issue that is among the top 20 leading causes of death worldwide.
Kenya ranks position 114 among the 175 countries with the highest suicide rates.
 

Ole Waru

Elder Lister
Unfortunately, most suicides are committed by men. Being there for a brother going through tough times is noble and mentoring those you can, vital.
Women also have high rates of suicide attempts it’s just that men are more successful, a man will endure a rope to the neck but a woman will prefer popping pills
 

Tiiga Waana

Elder Lister
My humble admission to this discussion is that those contemplating or undertaking suicide should feel duty-bound to help the living by leaving ( no pun intended here) a clear and succinct Dying Declaration.
For those conversant with Law and Letters, you are aware that a Dying Declaration is normally taken very seriously as truthful and is actually an exception to Hearsay Limitations.

Why do I think so? It is because in most cases we never know why people kill themselves. If every suicide told the truth of their motives, we might be able to address the causes. Till then we will keep speculating.
 

Swansea

Elder Lister
That's where a community of men is encouraged. It could even be gym bros, men's fellowship pale church, those with a similar hobby etc.. Whatever one does, try and not be a solitary soul.
Exactly. This is also one of the reasons and also emphasized to encourage kids to play organized sports from a young age. It builds character, the spirit of teamwork and teaches overcoming adversity. When one loses or is injured, navigating the pain and overcoming.

Some of my closest friends to date are those that we played high school rugby with together and we have maintained those friendships/relationships until now for decades.
 

Tiiga Waana

Elder Lister
The major reason why Folks top themselves is basically the feeling and conviction that they have reached the end of the tether and can’t go on.
This helplessness leads to lack of resilience.

So what can motivate people to keep fighting even when all seem lost? How can Folks be instilled to have a tough mettle to deal with life issues?
How can people be made aware that suicide is an avoidance and not a panacea to problems?
 
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