On a fateful Friday, 19 June, a teenage girl from Lamu East made the heartbreaking decision to end her life. The tragic event unfolded after she allegedly discovered that her boyfriend was cheating on her.
According to Lamu East OCPD Emmanuel Okanda, the 19-year-old girl hanged herself inside the kitchen at their homestead in Faza village. Okanda believes the young lady's decision was influenced by a love triangle, stating, 'We are still investigating but we understand the young lady had found out her boyfriend had another girl. She didn’t leave any note. We also understand she quarreled with some girls shortly before she took her life and we are looking into that too.'
Unfortunately, this tragic incident is not an isolated case. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that at least 800,000 people commit suicide every year, translating to one suicide every 40 seconds. In Kenya, the number of suicides has increased by 58 per cent between 2008 and 2017, reaching 421.
As OCPD Okanda aptly put it, 'We urge the teenagers to stop straining themselves in relationships that may fail, forcing them to take reckless actions, no matter how painful the situation.'
The teenage girl's body was taken to the Faza Subcounty hospital for an autopsy examination.
Published on 20 June 2020
