Suicide is a pressing public health concern in East Africa. In Uganda, the crude suicide mortality rate stood at 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, while Kenya reported 6.1 per 100,000 (crude) and 11.0 per 100,000 (age-standardised). Across the WHO African region, the figure is approximately 11.2 per 100,000. While these statistics are already troubling, they understate the severity of the crisis among LGBTQ people. Research in Kenya shows that 38% of depressed gay and bisexual men reported frequent suicidal thoughts or self-harm within a two-week period, and transgender women in Kenya face disproportionate levels of depression and suicidality. Yet, because data are not collected by sexual orientation or gender identity in official surveys, the true burden remains hidden.

The Policy Problem

For queer Ugandans and their counterparts across East Africa, suicide risk is shaped less by individual vulnerability than by hostile legal and social environments. Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which prescribes life imprisonment and even the death penalty for same-sex intimacy, has triggered a wave of evictions, assaults, arbitrary arrests, and psychological trauma. Rights organisations have documented spikes in suicidal thoughts, forced homelessness, and barriers to health care. Such legal frameworks criminalise not just identity but also support services, effectively driving LGBTQ people underground and out of reach of lifesaving care.

In contrast, Kenya’s 2025 repeal of laws criminalising attempted suicide provides a positive policy lesson. By decriminalising suicide attempts, the government removed a key barrier to help-seeking, ensuring that those in crisis can access emergency services without fear of prosecution.

Evidence-Based Policy Responses

To prevent suicide—including among LGBTQ communities—policymakers in Uganda and East Africa should prioritise the following:

1. Reform Harmful Laws
   • Decriminalise LGBTQ identitiesand repeal provisions that punish same-sex intimacy, advocacy, or “promotion.” Criminalisation increases suicide risk by fuelling stigma, violence, and eviction.
   • Decriminalise attempted suicidein all countries that still treat it as a crime, to encourage help-seeking. Kenya’s reform offers a regional model.

2. Restrict Access to Lethal Means

• Implement WHO’s “Live Life” strategyby phasing out highly hazardous pesticides, improving safe storage, and training clinicians to manage poisoning cases. Pesticide ingestion is a leading suicide method in rural East Africa, and regulatory action has been proven to reduce deaths in multiple countries.

3. Strengthen Mental Health Systems

• Expand community-based mental health programs(such as group interpersonal therapy and peer-led initiatives) and ensure services are confidential and inclusive of LGBTQ clients.
• Integrate suicide-risk screeninginto primary care, HIV programs, and schools. These are key entry points where stigma and distress often surface.

4. Protect and Support Vulnerable Populations

• Fund safe shelters and housing supportfor LGBTQ people facing eviction, a frequent precursor to crisis in Uganda.
• Build and maintain confidential crisis helplines, with options for anonymous chat or phone support accessible even in rural areas.
• Train teachers, faith leaders, and health workers in LGBTQ-affirming approaches, recognizing that even one supportive adult can reduce a queer young person’s suicide attempt risk by 40%.

5. Build Data with Safeguards

• Introduce optional, confidential SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics) fieldsin health and mortality surveillance. This allows policymakers to understand the scale of queer suicides without exposing individuals to risk in hostile environments.
• Publish annual suicide statisticsand include disaggregated mental health indicators in national health surveys to track progress and accountability.

Regional and International Collaboration

No single country can address this crisis alone. Regional organisations such as the African Union and the East African Community can coordinate by:

• Sharing best practices and technical expertise in suicide prevention.
• Establishing cross-border helpline networksto serve refugees and displaced LGBTQ people.
• Supporting harmonized pesticide regulationacross borders to reduce access to lethal means.
• Engaging international partners for funding of shelters, peer networks, and training programsthat directly address LGBTQ suicide risk.

A Call to Action

Queer suicides in Uganda and East Africa are not inevitable; they are the predictable outcome of hostile laws, stigma, and insufficient mental health investment. Policymakers have the tools to reverse this trend. By reforming punitive laws, restricting lethal means, strengthening health systems, and building protective environments, governments can save lives and fulfil their obligations under both public health commitments and human rights treaties.

This is not merely a matter of policy—it is a matter of life and death. Urgent, evidence-based action is required to affirm that queer East Africans matter, belong, and deserve a future worth living.