Media personality Agnes Nonsizi recently revisited her past trauma which she says still lives on of losing her dad in 2006 to suicide.
This, she revealed while speaking in an interview on Youtube and added it left her in a state of shock.
” Mental Health! Losing my dad to suicide in 2006 was traumatic and years later this was still such a hard conversation to have but a necessary one because mental health in Kenya is at stake!” she wrote.
Agnes said her dad’s woes began in 2005 when their four-bedroom house was set ablaze on a mysterious occurrence.
“In December 2005 our house was mysteriously burned. It was a 4 bedroom house and we were not left with anything apart from the clothes we were wearing. My dad never overcame the trauma as he had lost his job as I was joining form 1. He was also the one taking care of his grandparents.”
She continued;
I have never seen my dad cry but that day I did. We went to sleep at the house of dad’s grandfather. Sometimes he would go to the burned house and just cry, asking why someone chose to do that to him.”
Nonsisi revealed her dad did not overcome the trauma and lived in fear of the same happening again.
She further added although neighbours contributed money to help rebuild a new house, her dad used the money in other things and was only left with Ksh 40,000.
“People formed a committee and contributed cash to help us rebuild the house. Up to date, no one knows how he used the money.”
Many questions were raised asking him to account for the expenses one that brought too much pressure to the dad.
The dad would not take it anymore and bowed to the pressure and instead decided to buy pesticides to take away his life.
“When people started asking when the house would get finished he started feeling pressured. He started looking old and sickly and when we closed school he used to talk about his suicidal thoughts.”
“He went to an agro vet shop and bought medication meant for our cows, but in the real sense, he wanted to kill himself. He came home late and I even heard him. He however went to a different house to sleep after they had a small argument with my mum. My mum followed him and pleaded with him to open the door but he refused,” she continued.
Later that night, her dad consumed the pesticides and that began another hustle of trying to save his life.
He was admitted to Aga Khan hospital and stayed in the ICU for three weeks but succumbed on December 31, 2006.
Agnes says her father’s death brought too much stigma and even during his burial, the clergy were dressed in black.
