Strathmore University Student Dies After Jumping Off Gateway Mall Rooftop

A 22-year-old at Strathmore University has died after jumping from the fifth floor of Gateway Mall in Syokimau, Machakos County.

Mall management has confirmed the demise of the student who took a suicide leap from the rooftop to the ground floor. The witnesses quickly tipped off Syokimau Police Station which instantly dispatched a team of officers to the scene. The inquiry began while the body was transported to Montezuma Funeral Home. However, the circumstances leading up to this fatal tragedy remain unclear.

This particular incident adds to the mounting concern regarding the rising quantity of college students who resort to suicide. As a result, mental health specialists are now sounding the alarm. The mental health crisis is evident in the student community as evidenced at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) where a second-year student jumped from an unfinished five-story building within the institution. His lifeless body was spotted near the building by close friends who were concerned about his unexpected absence from the morning classes.

The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022 reveals that men aged 15-49 experience depression at a rate of 3%. Men between the ages of 18 and 25 face a 6 per cent suicide rate, while women in the same age group experience a 4 per cent rate. The primary factors contributing to these statistics among young people are poverty, joblessness, the loss of a loved one, drugs, and relationship problems. Professionals in the fields of counselling, medicine, and psychology strongly recommend seeking assistance whenever one encounters mental health challenges.