Revealed: What is killing young Kenyan men in their prime years

On January 1, 2024, 23-year-old James Mwangi from Gatundu South constituency, Kiambu County, joined his family for New Year celebrations. Those present said he was cheerful throughout the day.

That night, Mwangi killed himself. After returning home with his family, his wife woke up to find him missing and found his body in the kitchen.

Mwangi’s stepfather, Karanja Karuri, says there had been no warning signs.

“He was jovial during the day, engaging with everyone,” he says.

“It was shocking to learn he had taken his life. Mwangi was a simple, polite, hardworking man whose future looked bright.”

Mr Karuri speaks of rising suicides among young men in the region, saying many deaths occur without warning. He cites joblessness, drug abuse and other pressures as drivers of depression in men.

Kenya is losing many young men. Some end their lives in silence. Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death worldwide, according to the latest Unicef findings. Among those aged 15 to 24, men are 1.65 to two times more likely to die than women.

For young men, the main killers are road traffic injuries, violence, self-harm and conflict-related injuries.

In 2024, an estimated seven million people under 25 died globally. Male deaths, at four million, outnumbered female at three million, a gap driven by higher rates of suicide, accidents, crime and violence.

Kenya mirrors this trend. Data from late 2025 and early this year shows a mental health crisis, with an average of four suicides daily, most of them men. Figures from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and the Ministry of Health put the yearly toll at 1,400 to 1,600.

Men are three to four times more likely to die by suicide than women in Kenya, according to the World Bank and an aggregation of public health reports.

“Men are generally secretive. When they hear other men’s issues discussed outside their circles, they shut down and conceal their own struggles,” says Andrew Mwangi, a psychologist.

Also Read: Four lives, one night: How silent male anguish is fuelling Kenya’s suicide crisis

The rising cases of suicide among young men have attracted government attention. For many households, the warning came too late.

Jacqueline Mutere recalls one Sunday when her 20-year-old son took his life shortly after supper. Her younger children first noticed something was wrong, though she did not take it seriously.

“The children came to my room and said their brother was playing a bad game. I thought it was one of his antics, which had become common after he failed his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams,” she says.

When Mutere went to check, she found him hanging from the roof of the veranda.

“We rushed him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead,” she says.

She adds that her son changed after the release of the KCSE results.

“He sank into depression. He stayed in bed all day, and when he woke up, he would sit in the living room in his underwear, unconcerned,” she recalls.

Her interventions made little difference. The young man showed no interest in anything.

Mutere says she may have failed as a mother by not doing enough to prevent his death. She urges other parents to watch out for red flags.

“My son was healthy, full of love, laughter and jokes. Then something suddenly changed, and he had taken his life within six months. I later learnt he had been sexually abused but kept it to himself,” Mutere says.

She believes the abuse may have contributed to his death. Had she known, she says, she might have intervened in time. She advises young people to speak up when faced with challenges.

“I am concerned about the rising suicide cases among Kenyan men. This is a silent epidemic of mental health issues often linked to economic pressures and substance abuse,” Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said recently.

Also Read: 50 suicides in 10 months -The mental health crisis gripping Naivasha

“Families should support loved ones when they notice changes instead of condemning them.”

Last year, the government and partners launched a national programme to expand access to mental health services and reduce stigma.

Dr Mercy Karanja, Head of the Ministry’s Mental Health Division, calls the Kenya Mental Health Initiative – a partnership between Johnson & Johnson and the Ministry of Health – a milestone.

“The project allows us to extend services beyond clinics, reaching communities directly and equipping them to address challenges proactively,” she says.

“It marks a significant step towards building a more resilient and inclusive mental health system in Kenya.”

The country has fewer than 500 specialised mental health workers nationwide.

One man survived a breakdown and now helps others facing similar struggles. Kenneth Mwangi recalls how he almost took his life after his marriage and business collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I battled addiction for more than two decades. I was hooked on pornography from Std Four, struggled with alcoholism for 10 years and abused bhang and miraa for three,” he tells the Saturday Nation.

He later started “The Breakdown Space”, a podcast on addiction and recovery.

Accidents, especially in the boda boda sector, are also a major killer of young men.

Geoffrey Ondieki, an operator in Kawangware, recalls narrowly escaping death last year in a crash left him semi-paralysed.

“All I remember is being tossed in the air and hitting the ground before losing consciousness. I woke up in hospital, where I remained for a month,” Ondieki says.

The 24-year-old suffered multiple fractures in his legs and hands, along with severe stomach injuries.

Doctors fitted metal plates, rods and screws to repair his broken bones.

“Though the surgeries helped, I became partially disabled and now walks with a limp. The medical bills drained me financially for I parted with more than Sh420,000. Thank God, I survived. Several colleagues have died from injuries,” he adds.

Also Read: Children on social media more than two hours a day at higher risk of mental illness - Study

Ondieki now goes for at least two physiotherapy sessions a month, each costing Sh4,500. Despite the injuries, he is back on the road, saying he cannot afford to stay idle.

“I need to feed myself and help my mother raise my younger siblings. I am also saving for college,” he says.

Motorbike crashes are leaving thousands of young men disabled.

The National Transport and Safety Authority recorded at least 1,200 boda boda deaths in 2024.

Sixty eight per cent of the riders were aged 18 to 33, with 30 per cent aged 18 to 25 and 38.2 per cent between 26 and 33.

Inexperience, poor training, failure to wear helmets and reckless riding are listed as the main causes of crashes.

In response, the government launched the National Road Safety Action Plan (2024-28), targeting stricter training and licensing for boda bodas.

Young men also account for most casualties in crime. Some are killed while committing offences or during protests.

The 2024-25 National Crime Centre data shows Kenyan men make up the vast majority of homicide victims, some 70 per cent or more of reported cases.

The figures also show that people under 26 form nearly half of the prison population.

Joblessness, poverty and drug abuse drive some into gangs, theft and other crimes. The most common offences committed by young men are theft (35 per cent), mugging (23 per cent) and robbery at 15 per cent.

Joel Baario lost his 21-year-old son, Brian Kimathi, during the June 2024 Gen Z protests. In an interview with NTV, he recalled that Kimathi died minutes just after leaving theatre at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

Baario got a call from his wife on June 25, telling him to rush to her workplace in Huruma.

“She was crying. When I arrived, she said she had been told that our son had been killed in the protests,” he recalls.

With some friends, Baario went to KNH, where he found his son in the emergency section.

“His legs and hands were fractured. His head was badly injured and heavily bandaged. The doctor told me the X-ray showed severe head injuries, and they needed to perform emergency surgery,” he says.

Kimathi died moments later as he was being moved to the ward after surgery.

“He was our first born and losing him still hurts. My family has never found justice,” Baario says.

Zipporah Nderitu, a criminologist and Senior Superintendent of Police, says young men face greater risks than women. Social norms and expectations place them in circumstances that endanger their lives.

“Men are viewed as protectors, which often leads to assaults and other crimes. They are also seen as providers, which sometimes pushes them to theft,” the police officer says.

She adds that male peer groups reward riskier behaviour more than female groups.

Childhood abuse, neglect, community trauma and substance abuse also drive young men into crime.

“Many men feel pressure to be ‘strong’ and avoid showing vulnerability. They struggle to seek professional help, which leads to isolation, higher suicide rates and unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse and crime,” she adds.

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