Change law that outlaws suicide, say activists

Human rights groups in the Western region want suicide decriminalised as part of efforts to address mental health issues and assist those affected.

Members of the Tinada Youth Organisation, Nyarwek, Gender Dialogues and Trans Alliance met in Kisumu to discuss mental health issues and stigma and its effects during the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia marked on May 17.

Suicide is a crime in Kenya under Section 226 of the Penal Code.

The law states that any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour, which is punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or with a fine or both.

MENTAL ILLNESS

Proposals to repeal the law criminalising suicide have been made in the past, without much success.

Tinada programmes coordinator Mike Wanjengu said decriminalising suicide will be the first step towards reducing cases of mental illnesses.

“Suicide is criminalised in Kenya, this has affected reporting of these cases. In case it is a failed suicide attempt, the person will be in trouble with the law yet the cause of the problem is not addressed,” he said.

Decriminalising suicide will encourage people to come out and share their experiences, including depression and their fears, he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in a 2017 report, estimated that six million Kenyans suffered from common mental conditions such as depression, substance abuse, stress and anxiety, making the country the sixth most depressed in Africa.

This, Mr Wanjengu said, should be a concern to the government.

The number of suicides reported in Kenya rose by 58 per cent between 2017 and 2018 to reach 421. Some 330 of these were men, he said.

Worldwide, about 800,000 people kill themselves each year, translating to one person every 40 seconds, WHO said.

Ms Caroline Rucah, the head of programmes at Nyarwek, urged the government to spearhead a multisectoral approach to respond to the mental health challenges in the country.

“These measures should include county-specific policies incorporating a human rights-based approach.”