A couple was found hanging in their Machakos House on the afternoon of Sunday, July 12, a day after arriving from Nairobi City.
A report by Citizen TV indicated that the duo, identified as Dennis Pius, 28, and Susan Ndeto, 19, was found dead at Kaumoni village in Machakos.
The two had travelled to the house owned by Pius on Friday evening, roughly three days since President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted the cessation of movement that had been imposed in Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera Counties.
Confirming the incident, Assistant Chief Ruth Mwende noted that investigations into the incident had already commenced.
Witnesses disclosed that they had seen the couple on Saturday morning before they learned of the hanging later that day.
Ndeto's mother also narrated that she had tried contacting her and when she could not get an answer, she decided to travel to their Machakos home where she found the two hanging.
Their bodies were transferred to Kangundo Hospital Mortuary for postmortem.
Their death is the latest indicating increasing mental illness cases in the country brought about by the economic downturn emanating from the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Kenya's suicide deaths are ranked 29th worldwide according to the World Health Organisation," Health CS Mutagi Kagwe has stated noting that depression and anxiety were among the leading mental conditions in the country.
A task force set up by the government recommended that mental illness should be declared a national issue and called for the establishment of a mental health commission.
"The increasing cases of depression are causing suffering in homes. Many people are living with stigma. We need to put in place strategies to manage mental health to deal with the burden which is there," the task force report reads in part.
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