AfriPulse
The late former Citizen TV journalist Kimani Mbugua longed for peace after years of battling mental health challenges, , his father Dedan Kimathi has revealed.
Mbugua passed away on the night of October 14 aged 29 by an apparent suicide at a rehabilitation centre in Mombasa where he had been undergoing treatment.
Speaking to the media, Kimathi said his son felt burdened and appeared resigned to his struggles. He confirmed that Mbugua left a note behind.
“Because he says that ‘I know I have taken myself; I have been a burden to myself, and I don’t want to be a burden any further,’” he said.
“He mentioned that ‘I have chosen to rest in the hands of God,” he added.
Confirming that Mbugua took his life, the family ruled out the possibiltiyty of foul play, saying it has accepted his passing with grace.
The bereaved Kimathi at the same time mentioned that investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and footage from the facility confirmed that Mbugua took his own life.
“We are not blaming anyone. The DCI came, and they took the body. We as a family are not complaining of the facility because the footage is there how he committed suicide and we have accepted it. We have said since he has chosen to rest, who are we to say not to rest?” he said.
A budding and talented journalist, Mbugua first honed his broadcasting skills at Moi University’s FM radio station. Before joining Citizen TV, he worked with Nation Media Group, where his engaging feature stories and lifestyle segments earned him national appeal. However, his meteoric rise to the top was interrupted by his battle with bipolar disorder, during which time he sought treatment and openly shared about his condition with the public.
Mbugua’s battle also drew support from former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and media personality Oga Obinna, who assisted in his recovery efforts, marked by unfortunate relapses.
His father Kimathi thanked all the wellwishers who stood by his son, particularly Mike Sonko;
“We thank Governor Sonko, may God bless him, because he had even committed himself to support him to open a channel,” he said.
“He was willing to allow Kimani to employ so many young people. Those are jobs gone, those are opportunities gone, that’s a leader who is gone, this is a family gone.”
Kimathi at the same time sent out a messgae to other young Kenyans who might be struggling wiht mental health challenges, urging them to seek spiritual and emotional guidance.
“Choose God to guide you, but don’t choose to rest in that formula. Wait until your time comes,” he said.
“He has really broken our hearts completely, and we have no way to deal with it,” Kimathi said.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
