TITLE:
Prevalence, Sociodemographic Factors Affecting Suicide and Its Relationship with Alcohol Intoxication in Kenya: An Autopsy Study
AUTHORS:
Wangai Kiama, Edward Muge, Moses Obimbo, Julius Ogeng’o
KEYWORDS:
Suicide, Sociodemographic Factors, Alcohol, Kenya, Forensic Pathology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
23,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Suicide is a major global public health concern which Sub-Saharan Africa endures disproportionately higher burdens of. The increasing incidence of suicide in low- and middle-income countries like Kenya calls for region and country specific interventions. There is, however, inadequate data to inform such context-appropriate interventions. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence, sociodemographic factors associated with suicide and its relationship with alcohol intoxication in Nairobi City, Kenya. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive autopsy study undertaken at Nairobi City Mortuary over a period of one year from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. Ethical approval for the study was granted by University of Nairobi-Kenyatta National Hospital Ethics and Review Committee. Information on sociodemographic factors like marital status, age, sex, employment and level of education, was provided by the next of kin. Data on alcohol intoxication was generated by taking alcohol levels of the vitreous humor obtained during the autopsy. The prevalence was based on the estimated population of Nairobi, which is 3.7 million, from the 2009 census. The data were recorded on standardized data sheets, entered into and managed by Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) to generate descriptive statistics. It was presented in tables. Results: Over the period, 2278 cases of violent death underwent autopsy examination. 224 (9.8%) deaths were due to suicide, for a population of about 3.7 million residents, this gave a crude prevalence rate of 5.4/100,000 population. Suicide was most frequent among married people (37%) followed by those that were separated (29.5%); those with primary education (37.5%) followed by those with secondary education (26.8%); and those that were employed at 55.8%. The mean age for suicide victims was 27.9 years (range 12 - 48 years). The most frequently affected age groups 20 - 39 years (166; 74.2%). This was followed by 40 - 49-year age group (51; 22.8%). The least frequent was 10 - 19 years (7: 3.1%). There was overwhelming male predominance at 89.7%. In a sample of 29 suicide victims 8 (27.6%) were intoxicated with ethanol. Conclusions: Suicide is a prevalent cause of violent death in Nairobi, Kenya. It predominantly affects the married, employed and scarcely educated young men, with alcohol intoxication playing a significant role. Interventions to combat it should comprise community programmes for psychosocial support, educational and socioeconomic empowerment and regulation of alcohol consumption among the young male demographic. Further research should be undertaken on sociocultural and other socioeconomic determinants, multicenter studies and correlation with longitudinal data of suicide in Kenya.