Starting today, we launch the first in a five-part blog series: Breaking the Silence – Reflections on Stigma, Grief, and Suicide in Kenya.
*Warning: This article discusses suicidal behaviour. If you have questions on self-harm or feel suicidal, use this link to find an international helpline.*
Written by team members at CEJAD (Centre for Environment Justice and Development), these personal reflections explore the pain of suicide loss and the stigma, shame, and cultural expectations that shape how suicide is understood and grieved in Kenyan communities.
The series grew from a shared journey with CPSP’s filmmaker, Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston, as they began exploring the possibility of making a new film on suicide and grief in Kenya.
As part of this, the team screened Her Name Was Sita – a powerful short documentary set in Nepal which explores how shame, honour, and culture can lead to heart-breaking choices.
The screening opened space for honest, often emotional conversations, about suicide, silence, and mourning.
Though the film came from a different context, it deeply resonated with those who attended.
It helped everyone to listen more closely, reflect more deeply, and begin to understand how to tell these stories in a way that honours grief with care and compassion.
We launch this series on World Suicide Prevention Day (10th Sept) – a time to reflect, speak openly, change narratives and break the silence that surrounds suicide in our society.
Read the first blog in the series by Fredrick Otieno below.
Learning to open up: A personal journey through suicide and grief in Kenya
Fredrick Otieno, Programme Officer at CEJAD, reflects on his personal journey during the film screening of Her Name Was Sita and the scoping process for a new film on suicide and grief in Kenya.
He shares why opening up conversations around suicide and grief is important and how the experience helped him listen more deeply, with compassion and care.
The CEJAD team with filmmaker Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston during the new film scoping visit to Kenya.
How I found the journey
Planning the screening of Her Name Was Sita – and helping shape a new documentary on suicide grief in Kenya – was both exciting and challenging.
I was especially excited it was the film’s first showing in Kenya, with filmmaker Heshani Sothiraj Eddleston attending in person.
The idea for the Kenyan film began in 2023, when I met Heshani at a CPSP global meeting in Nairobi.
I had never planned a screening or scoping study before, so despite great support from Heshani and Ellie Roger, CPSP’s communication expert, the process felt overwhelming at times.
My inexperience, coupled with a desire for everything to be perfect, made the task feel daunting.
Although I had a capable team, I was uncertain how a film deeply rooted in an Asian context would resonate with a Kenyan audience.
We also lacked clarity and uncertainty on the ideal venue and technical requirements generally the finer details of what would make the event successful.
Not Ready to Talk: The Silence Around Suicide
While we had a general idea of our target audience for the scoping study, identifying and securing the right people proved difficult, with some unwilling to engage at all.
I remember calling a priest to brief him of our plans and inquire about his interest to participate and his answer was outright; “I don’t want to be involved.”
He did not give me any reason. He just did not want to engage on discussions related to suicide.
Perhaps this shows how sensitive and taboo the subject of suicide is in Kenyan communities.
Film screening and discussion: Her Name Was Sita in Kenya
How a Film Helped Us Speak the Unspoken
On the day of the screening of Her Name Was Sita, Heshani, myself and I think members of the CEJAD ream were all very nervous and anxious.
I was uncertain whether the event would draw attendees or spark meaningful discussion.
Luckily, the event was very successful.
It coincided with International Women’s Day. Women rights activists, students, mental health practitioners, community leaders and some members of the public attended the event.
The film resonated well with the audience and sparked open and meaningful discussions on how shame, stigma and societal expectations on people can drive individuals to harm themselves.
Understanding the roots of distress: the difference between mental health and mental distress.
Throughout the discussion, one thing was clear; suicide is not always a mental health problem.
It often stems from overwhelming mental distress caused by circumstances beyond an individual’s control.
Even professionals like psychiatrists who attended the screening agreed that suicide was caused by distress.
In Kenya, relationship and marital issues, financial distress, sports betting, body shaming and toxic work environment were highlighted as major factors that drive people to self-harm.
The scoping process: Listening to hidden stories behind suicide with compassion, care and understanding
After the film screening, Heshani and I visited Nairobi, Kisumu, Kakamega, Migori, Kisii, Muranga, and Siaya to explore making a new film.
We had one goal: To understand the hidden stories of suicide.
We wanted to understand how communities grieved following loss of loved ones to suicide.
Discussions with families of victims, religious leaders, community members, a traditionalist and mental health professionals painted a troubling picture:
Suicide is a ticking time bomb and needs urgent attention.
We spoke to about 26 people, and all of them knew at least two people who had died by suicide.
Most of the victims were men, showing just how vulnerable men are to suicide.
During the visits, one of the most important things I learned from Heshani was how to open up conversations around suicide in an ethical, compassionate, and caring way.
She doesn’t come in with a fixed set of questions, but instead understands the deep sensitivities involved.
It was invaluable to watch and learn from her: the way she listens, gently prompts, and creates a safe space for people to share deeply personal and heart-breaking stories.
Even in one-on-one conversations, she followed their lead, engaging with care and patience, never rushing or forcing the discussion.
As an outsider, I don’t think I would have felt comfortable – or even dared – to begin these conversations with families on my own.
Discussions with family members and friends of victims revealed how religious beliefs and doctrines can influence how victims of suicide are treated after death.
We heard of a harrowing and painful story of a family who’s loved one could not be given full church burial rights because he died by suicide.
To the church, this person did not die a good death, creating the notion that there is a ‘good death’ and a ‘bad death’.
This family has never healed to date.
They felt that their loved one was unfairly judged by the church, something they felt only God could do.
The church that should have been a source of solace and comfort became a source of pain.
We also learned how important and sacred burial rights are in Kenyan society.
Families we spoke to wanted their loved ones to be given a ‘normal’ burial irrespective of how they died.
To them, proper burial enables their loved ones to rest in peace and those left behind to have closure.
Denying victims of suicide proper burial due to religious or cultural norms denies families closure and prolongs their suffering.
Decriminalisation is just the beginning
When we spoke to people in the communities we visited, it became clear that most didn’t know suicide was once criminalised or that it was decriminalised in January 2025.
For many, the law didn’t matter.
What mattered was that people take their own lives because of real-life struggles, not because they fear prison or the law.
Many believed that offering support to people in distress at the community level is far more effective than punishment in preventing suicide.
Decriminalisation is a positive step, but much more is needed.
We must begin by de-stigmatising suicide so families can grieve openly and find closure.
Open conversations also improve awareness and reporting of suicides as the figures as we don’t know the real figures.
Lastly, the government must act to restrict access to highly hazardous pesticides – often used in suicide attempts – to help protect those in distress.
About the Author:
Fredrick Otieno is a chemical risks management specialist with over six years’ experience in chemicals risk management, and holds a holds a Master’s Degree in Chemicals Risk Management from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He currently serves as a project officer at the Centre for Environmental Justice and Development (CEJAD), a public interest organisation based in Kenya that is promoting sound management of chemicals and wastes.
At CEJAD, he leads implementation of projects on pesticides’ risk reduction and elimination of mercury, working with communities, and policy makers at the national, regional as well as international levels. Since 2022, he has been coordinating a regional project on pesticide suicide prevention, working with pesticide regulators and regional bodies in east and southern Africa.
The Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD) partners with CPSP to deliver work in southern and eastern Africa. Find out more about our global work.