Advocacy groups and medical professionals expressed their approval on Friday after a ruling from Kenya’s high court deemed it unconstitutional to classify suicide attempts as a criminal act.
Suicide remains prohibited in the East African nation, with individuals who attempt it facing misdemeanour charges that could result in fines and up to two years imprisonment.
According to the World Bank, approximately six out of every 100,000 Kenyans were expected to eventually commit suicide in 2019, prompting the government to kick off a mental health initiative in 2022.
On Thursday, the high court ruled that the law was “promoting discrimination based on health, which is unconstitutional.” The ruling still requires the Attorney General to start the procedure for officially revoking that portion of the penal code.
The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), which supported the petition to the high court, hailed it as a “significant milestone.”
It serves as a “call to action for an open and honest discussion” regarding mental health and “contributes greatly to increasing awareness, combatting stigma, and fighting discrimination,” they stated.
Annually, roughly 11 individuals per 100,000 in Africa die by suicide, which is higher than the global average of nine, as reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In 2022, the WHO launched a campaign focused on increasing awareness about mental health issues, especially suicide.
