By S, KNA
Members of the public and religious leaders have been advised to get involved in the fight against alcoholism and substance abuse to tame rising cases of suicide in Nyeri county.
County Commissioner Henry Ochako has partly linked the rising cases of suicide in the area to consumption of alcohol and drugs especially among men.
Speaking during celebrations to mark this year’s Mashujaa celebrations at Mweiga Stadium in Kieni West sub county, Ochako noted that while the government was doing everything in its ability to tackle the menace, the general public had a responsibility to play in ensuring success towards that end.
“Suicide cases are becoming an emerging problem and its time we all unite in addressing this challenge. We are losing people in their 20s and 50s, who are supposed to be contributing to the development of this country to suicide.
I am calling upon both the community and religious leaders to join hands in halting this tide. We need to speak to our people and address the underlying issues that could be contributing to this problem,” said Ochako, who took over from the outgoing county commissioner Ronald Mwiwawi early last week.
Mwiwawi has since been transferred to Homa Bay County in the same capacity.
Suicide cases in Nyeri have been a thorn in the flesh for some time now with stakeholders and health experts linking the problem to mental wellness.
In September this year, Mwiwawi called for the cultivation of strong family ties as one way of addressing rising cases of mental illnesses in the county.
The CC then had stated that some of the mental health issues affecting residents of Nyeri could have been avoided if the victims had families, where they could run to and find help when they were at their lowest ebb.
Mwiwawi also blamed the proliferation of cheap liquor, proscribed drugs as among practices that had exacerbated the problem of mental health challenges in the area.
He disclosed that within the last 10 months alone close to 100 people had lost their lives through suicide and cited Kieni East, Kieni West and Mukurwe-ini as the worst hit areas in the county.
“I can confidently say that in Nyeri County we are seeing rising cases of mental illnesses. The mental wellbeing of our people is a bit shaky. I think there are so many frustrations and most of them generated from the family. The family is not very strong here. There are so many issues at the family level,” he told KNA on the sidelines of a multi-agency committee meeting on drugs control.
“Our people really need to invest more on building stronger family ties. Most of the issues are really mental frustrations in life, which I am sure is not about professional counselling, but the family’s strong ties. I think if we can address the family issues, I am sure there are so many other diseases that we can really avoid,” he noted.
At the same time, Ochako also raised alarm over an increase in stock theft in the county, which he blamed on laxity in community policing.
He said there was a need for partnership between security agents and members of the public in addressing security concerns and directed local administrators to enhance grassroots mobilization in order to identify suspected criminal elements.
“Today we are getting reports of livestock being stolen from homes just as it used to be the norm some years back. We are receiving complaints of people losing their sheep, goats and even cattle on a regular basis and we wish to call upon everyone to be involved in stopping this practice.
I want us to work together in enhancing our community policing strategies, so that we can be in a position to know those who are behind these activities. With unity of purpose, we can nab those who are engaging in this vice and ensure they face the law,” he added.
On youth empowerment, the CC called on youth to take advantage of government empowerment programs such as National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA), which he said, would help them come up with income generating initiatives.
He stated that besides such initiatives providing opportunities for the youth to eke a livelihood, they will also help address other social challenges such as alcoholism and criminal activities in the community.
NYOTA project is a five-year initiative that aims to empower youth aged between 18-29 years by increasing employment opportunities.
The Sh33 billion program jointly funded by the World Bank was launched yesterday across all the 47 counties and is targeting 820,000 youths by 2032.
The initiative aims to empower young people across the country, where they will gain skills, mentorship and key opportunities in key sectors such as transport, ICT, agriculture, manufacturing and the creative economy and access to funding.
It targets a total of 70 youth from each administrative ward who will each receive Sh50,000 as start-up capital to set up a business.
“Our young people should take note of the programs being rolled out by the government, as one way of creating employment opportunities for them. Right now we have the NYOTA program, where you can get some startup capital and run your own income earning activity. Take advantage of these programs and find ways in which you can get empowered to earn an income even without being employed by any one,” he added.
On his part, area MP Njoroge Wainana lauded the government for availing development projects in Kieni, which he said had led to construction of schools and roads in the area.
He said since the Kenya Kwanza administration took over in 2022, large parts of Kieni that had been abandoned by successive governments are now witnessing new roads among other developments.
“We have seen much development in this area since President Dr. William Ruto took over the government even in places that had been forgotten. Right now we have a World Bank program that is undertaking improvement of our towns and slum areas in partnership with the national government in order to eradicate informal settlements in our towns.
By December this year, we are going to witness the groundbreaking of the construction of 480 houses under the Affordable Housing Project, which I believe will enable our people to own decent and affordable houses,” said the first time lawmaker.
The MP also took a swipe at those criticizing the current government and argued that leaders should allow people to analyze their own performance at the end of their term in office.
Wainaina said some of those who are fighting hard for recognition as leaders in the area have nothing to show even after having served in past and in the current government
“If you want to be recognized as a shujaa (hero) , show us what you have done for this country. We all went into mourning for four days after the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga because of the legacy he has left behind. Legacies are earned by those who deserve them but not by those who ask for them,” he pointed out.
The former Premier died on October 15 at the age of 80, while undergoing treatment in India.
He was interred at his father’s home in Siaya county yesterday in a state funeral that was attended by President Ruto, local and foreign dignitaries as well as thousands of mourners from all walks of life.