A residence in Kibingoti village, Kirinyaga county, is in a somber mood after an 11-year-old kid committed himself suicide.
It is believed that the grade 4 student at Kibirigwi Primary School hanged himself with a rope inside their home at the early this week.
According to the minor’s grandmother Rose Ritho, the boy’s behavior before his death was normal; hence, it was impossible to determine his intentions.
She claims that on a crucial day, she saw the youngster digging a significant hole inside their residential compound, and when she confronted him, he claimed he was doing it to plant a banana stem.
“I’d just gotten back from the farm when I noticed him excavating a large hole next to our house. I questioned him about his motives. He said he wanted to plant a banana stem, but I advised him against doing so because doing so would put a banana too close to an electricity cable, which would be unsafe. He was apprehensive at first, but gradually filled the hole with earth,” recalls Ritho.
According to Ritho, she then discovered some carefully cut-out sticks in the area, which raised more questions about whether his grandson was considering digging his own tomb.
“I later recovered some sticks that are typically improvised while measuring the length and size of a human grave at the location where he was excavating. I’m absolutely astonished by this,” she said.
Despite the fact that Christmas celebrations are all around, Ritho claims that her family is still in disbelief and is still grieving the boy’s passing. Moses Koskei, the head of the local police force, informed the Star over the phone that the event is being investigated.
However, he claims that early evidence points to the possibility that the boy’s death was brought on by the grandparents’ failure to buy him new Christmas clothing.
According to Koskei, the deceased’s mother, who works in Qatar, apparently gave some money to his grandparents to buy him some new clothes, but the youngster was supposedly instructed by the grandparents to wait because the items were in such expensive condition during the holiday season.
After Christmas, the clothing were promised to him.
“It appears that they spoke with the mother, who told him that she had forwarded the money. I suppose he took the grandparents’ request for patience as a brazen refusal to buy him new clothes,” he stated.
According to Koskei, the body was transferred to one of the Karatina hospital morgues.