Men and suicide: Insurance Manager incident draws debate

The recent death of Mark Shannon Munthali, a 41-year-old manager at Kingfisher Insurance Company, has sparked concern on social media about the growing mental health issues, particularly among men.

He allegedly had loans also mismanaged money for the company.

Munthali jumped into the Shire River at Zalewa in Neno District.

Social media users are reacting to the news, emphasizing the need for men to open up about their struggles.

Daniel Khola, a social media user, commented: “It’s time for us men to wake up and start sharing our struggles. We can’t keep bottling up our emotions and expecting everything to be okay. Let’s break the silence and support each other.”

Malawi Police Service statistics have recently shown that suicide cases continue to rise in Malawi with figures from the first quarter of 2025 surpassing those of the corresponding period in 2024.

The World Health Organisation regards suicide as a public health problem that requires a public health response and that with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions, suicides can be prevented.

For instance, the statistics show that from January to March 2025, 153 suicide cases were reported with 125 of them involving males while 28 only involved females.

During the same period last year, 126 suicide cases were reported with 109 involving males while 17 involved females.