An expectant woman in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, committed suicide after she quarrelled with her husband on Monday evening, March 8.
Sources said that the woman locked herself up in the house after her husband left, only to be found moments later dangling on the rope.
The incident shocked residents with many wondering why the expectant woman would go to the extent of taking her own life - and that of her unborn child.
"It is a very unfortunate that the woman decided to take away even the life of her baby," said Njeri, one of the neighbours.
Police officers at the scene had to pull her body out through the roof after failing to break the door.
According to a press release by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) in 2020, mental illness accounts for 13 percent of the entire disease burden in Kenya.
"Suicide is the last resort and path of escape for individuals with unaddressed mental health needs, given the significant barriers that exist including stigma and limited access to mental health services in communities," the statement revealed.
Reports show that many women suffer silently from depression during and after pregnancy, due to the little emphasis placed on emotional and psychological care with 11-13 percent cases reported in Kenya.
Economic and social pressures enforce poor interpersonal relationships, therefore, increasing stress levels among the soon-to-be mothers.
According to the Penal Code on criminal laws in Kenya, any person who attempts to kill him/herself is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or with a fine, or both.
KNHCR suggested that the government improve health facilities at the county level so as to detect mental disorders early.
"The commission calls upon the government to adopt a preventive holistic approach to addressing suicide, one that incorporates rights-based measures in addition to modern public health approaches.
This will be achieved by addressing poverty, empowering disadvantaged sectors of society, and tackling discrimination particularly for the most vulnerable groups which makes them high risk including but not limited to intersex children and adults, drug users, and extremely poor households," they added in the statement.
