This archive report was first published on 15 December 2019.
On Friday, a 37-year-old man in Mombasa tragically ended his life, leaving behind a six-page suicide note that exposed the depths of his despair.
According to the note, Kelvin Majiwa's family and friends abandoned him in his hour of need, citing neglect, economic hardship, deteriorating health, and prolonged hunger as some of the reasons that drove him to take his own life.
He specifically accused his brother, sisters, and most of his friends of turning their backs on him, leaving him to suffer in silence.
As he lay alone, struggling with a chronic disease, Majiwa felt isolated and helpless, with no one to turn to for food or medical treatment.
He bitterly lamented, 'My brother and sisters have a lot of money to spend for the holidays, yet I am here languishing under disease and malnutrition.'
He vowed to haunt his siblings, saying, 'they will never know peace for neglecting me.'
He also claimed that his brother sold their family land in Migori, without allocating any funds for his treatment, and refused to help him even when he was struggling to pay his rent.
Despite his brother's well-paying job, Majiwa was left to fend for himself, and he remembered his brother declining to help him with even a small amount of Sh500 for a hemoglobin test.
However, Majiwa did find some solace in the kindness of a few friends, including the owner of a local restaurant, who came to his aid during his time of need.
The remains of the deceased were taken to Coast Provincial General Hospital mortuary.
