Kenyan media personality and content creator Maureen Waititu has opened up about one of the darkest periods of her life, revealing that she came close to taking her own life seven years ago.
Waititu shared the disclosure on Instagram on Thursday, September 10, 2026, as the world marked World Suicide Prevention Day.
She accompanied her message with a series of throwback photographs dating back to the period she described as one of intense personal struggle.
In the emotional reflection, Waititu identified October 11, 2019, as a significant date in her mental health journey.
“Throwing back to- October 11, 2019. 7 years. A day I came so close to taking my own life,” she wrote.
The mother of two said the photographs represented more than memories of a difficult period, describing them as reminders of a battle that remained largely invisible to people around her.
“These throwback photos carry a story that a smile could never fully tell,” she said.
Waititu explained that she was dealing with intense emotional pain at a time when many people around her could not see what she was experiencing internally.
Seven years later, she said she looks back at that period from a different place, with gratitude for having survived and continued her healing journey.
“Today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, I look back with gratitude for life, healing, grace, and every day I have been given since,” she wrote.
Waititu’s latest disclosure adds to a story she has shared publicly over the years about her mental health struggles.
The media personality previously spoke about experiencing severe clinical depression and suicidal thoughts following the breakdown of her relationship with businessman Frankie Kiarie. She also linked some of her struggles to painful experiences from her childhood and the intense cyberbullying she faced online.
In earlier interviews, Waititu revealed that she had contemplated suicide during that period and credited her children and support system with helping her through some of her darkest moments.
She previously said the volume of abusive messages she received online became so overwhelming that she had to distance herself from social media and hand over access to her accounts.
Waititu also spoke about seeking professional help as she worked towards recovery, alongside the support of friends, family and her faith.
Her latest post, however, focuses less on the circumstances that contributed to her crisis and more on the distance she has travelled since then.
Rather than presenting herself as someone still trapped in that period, Waititu used the anniversary to acknowledge her survival and the continued process of healing.
“Seven years later, I am still here. Still growing. Still healing. Still becoming,” she wrote.
Her message came as Kenya joined the rest of the world in observing World Suicide Prevention Day under the 2024–2026 theme, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” with the call to action, “Start the Conversation.” The World Health Organisation says the campaign aims to encourage more open and compassionate conversations about suicide while reducing stigma around people experiencing suicidal distress.
She ended her reflection with a simple affirmation: she is still here, still growing, still healing and still becoming.
