Crimes of the week: Suicides and homicides are on the rise

This week, the trend of suicide cases has increased as at least four cases have been reported.

As police rush to determine the motives of the cases, more and more people are dying by suicide.

In one of the tragic incidents, a woman jumped to her death from the 19th floor of a popular high-rise building in Nairobi on Wednesday.

Police said they received a report that around 3:45 p.m., Charity Muthoni Mutoi, 4 years old, jumped from the floor, where she left her shoes, jacket and cell phone.

She fell on top of a tent set up on the ground floor, where she succumbed to the injuries.

On a visit to the scene, the police found that the deceased had visited her male friend who carries on a printing business on the ground floor.

As they drank tea, she apologized, but soon her friend received a message from her saying she had decided to commit suicide, police said.

The body was moved to the Nairobi Funeral Home (formerly City Mortuary) while the motive is yet to be established

In another case, police said on Monday that a 52-year-old man committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in a thicket along the Dagoretti-Kikuyu railway.

During a visit to the scene, police found that the deceased had hanged himself with a white sisal knitted rope.

He had left a suicide note, the contents of which had not been made public.

The body was taken to St. Teresa’s Mortuary awaiting post-mortem.

In another suicide case, a Grade 5 student, aged 12, committed suicide by hanging himself with a shoelace in Bungoma.

Police officers went to the spot and confirmed the same.

According to police, no suicide note was recovered.

The body was transferred to the Bungoma County Referral Hospital Mortuary for safekeeping pending autopsy.

In yet another case, police in Makueni were informed of a suicide incident on Tuesday

After visiting the scene, the officer found a 14-year-old high school student hanging with a sisal rope around her neck, tied to a beam on the roof.

The body was taken to Sultan Hamud Hospital mortuary pending autopsy.

The World Health Organization estimates that 703,000 people die by suicide every year, making it the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29.

The WHO says such cases are attributed to unemployment, death, academic failure or pressure, legal problems and financial problems.

Other reasons include bullying, previous suicide attempts, a history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance abuse, depression and bipolar disorder.

OTHER CASES

Besides suicides, the country has seen other criminal activities, including the lynching of two mechanics who were caught siphoning fuel from vehicles at a factory in Ruai, Nairobi.

Police said the two were employees of the facility and were accused Monday afternoon of siphoning fuel from cars parked there to sell.

This prompted some of the workers there to raise the alarm, leading to the attack on the two by beating.

They died on the spot.

In another case, a middle-aged man is on the run after allegedly stabbing and killing his girlfriend in a suspected love triangle in Kasarani area, Nairobi.

The woman’s body was found in a pool of blood in the man’s home.

He is the son of a well-known landlord, police said of the incident on Friday evening, November 1.

The body was taken to the mortuary pending autopsy and examination.

Police say they are looking for a known suspect and hope to catch him soon.