Another high school student commits suicide after being sent home for fees
Mundanda village in Mwiria sub-location, Matungu sub-county was thrown into grief on Monday evening after a 17-year-old Form One student hanged himself in his brother’s house.
It is still not clear why the Mwiria Mixed Secondary school student took his life.
But he had been sent home two weeks ago over Sh3,000 school fees arrears.
His father Mr Juma Nanjira discovered the body which was dangling from the roof poles of his brother’s house
His father said he had asked him to go back to school as he looks for the money.
“He has been reluctant to report back to school. In the morning, I asked him why he was not willing to go to school but he didn’t answer me,” said Mr Nanjira.
He said he took him to school where they held a two-hour meeting with the deputy principal and agreed that the boy should continue learning as the father looks for the remaining fees balance.
“The boy promised to officially report back to school on Tuesday. We parted ways at the school gate as he went home while I went to the market at Shiakula to buy groundnut seeds,” narrated the father.
FATHER’S DISMAY
But to the father’s dismay, when he returned and went to give his son money to shave his hair, he found he had committed suicide in a derelict house belonging to his brother.
“He has been an obedient boy, performing well in school but of late he had accompanied bad boys in the village who are not schooling,” said Mr Nanjira.
According to the area Chief Sheban Nyapola, the student did not leave a suicide note, making it difficult to tell why he killed himself.
“The boy has shocked everybody by his act. It is not clear why he killed himself,” Mr Nyapola said.
He asked the police to investigate what might have led the student to commit suicide.
However, neighbors said the boy was experiencing strained relations with his step-mother. His mother committed suicide a year ago.
“It is very unfortunate that this matter has reached this far of children killing themselves. I wish I knew Felix was going to kill himself, I would have taken him to stay with me,” said Mrs Namwasi.
HOSPITAL MORTUARY
The boy’s body was moved to Bungoma County hospital mortuary where its awaiting a postmortem.
Last week, a similar incident was reported in Homa Bay county where a Form Three student at Alara Mixed Secondary School in Ndhiwa Sub County committed suicide after he was sent home for school fees.
Wycliffe Omondi, 16, whose family has been struggling to pay school fees, was found hanging from the rooftop of his parents’ bedroom on Wednesday evening. His parents were working in their farm in Kawanga village within Rachar Sub location when the incident happened.
The student had been been sent home from school the previous day to collect fees of up to Sh 40,000, which included exam fees and money for a forthcoming funds drive. The money had accumulated over time and his parents struggled to pay his school fees.
The deceased was a partial orphan after his mother died some years back and his father remarried.
The body was taken to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral hospital mortuary for postmortem.