The young journalist Kimani Mbugua, once a rising star in Kenyan media, died on the night of October 14, 2025, his father confirmed.
The cause was officially ruled as suicide while he was in a rehabilitation facility in Mombasa. His father, Dedan Kimathi, revealed the son’s last words and the heavy emotional burden they carried.
Kimani’s father said his son told him: “I know I have taken myself; I have been a burden to myself, and I don’t want to be a burden any further. I have chosen to rest in the hands of God.”
These words, spoken at the end of a long battle with mental-health issues and relapse, reflect a despair so deep that his choice to “rest” seemed less like surrender and more like escape.
His father described how Kimani had battled mental-health struggles for years, including publicly disclosing his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and how his recovery was punctuated by relapse, substance-use concerns and negative peer influences.
Although Kimani made bold strides in journalism, including working in Citizen TV and making a name for himself with lifestyle & feature reporting, his condition ultimately overwhelmed him.
In his statement, Dedan Kimathi said that the family has ruled out any foul play. He noted that footage from the rehabilitation facility, and investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), confirmed it was a self-inflicted death.
“We are not blaming anyone. … Since he has chosen to rest, who are we to say not to rest?” he said.
There is a raw, heartbreaking honesty in that last message from Kimani: he felt he had become a burden, internalised so much pain he believed his only recourse was to surrender his fight. His choosing to “rest in the hands of God” suggests that his mental and emotional torment left him with no other way forward.
Kimani’s passing highlights Kenya’s mental health situation: even someone in the public eye, with opportunities and visible success, can be consumed from within.
His father has issued a plea to young people: seek spiritual and emotional guidance in difficult times, he said. “Choose God to guide you, but don’t choose to rest in that formula. Wait until your time comes.”
While his professional legacy, his work in media will be remembered for its promise and talent, Kimani’s personal legacy will linger as a warning: that outward success doesn’t always reflect inner peace.
For his family, the grief is immense. Dedan said: “He has really broken our hearts completely, and we have no way to deal with it.”
They thanked those who had stood by Kimani, including former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and media personality Oga Obinna. His passing marks the loss of the “young leader” he had become, a person who had been willing to give others opportunities, his father said.
By Fiona Muthoni
