Woman demands answers after nephew commits suicide in school

A class five pupil committed suicide by hanging himself using his leather belt in school. However, the boy's guardian has disputed the suicide claims. PHOTO | LISA MUGUNDA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • According to Maara OCPD Mr Johnstone Kabusia, the class five boy, Tonny Muthomi, from Kajiunduthi Boarding Primary School hanged himself on the bed using his leather belt.

  • The officer said the incident happened shortly after the boy arrived from home where he had gone for medication after developing a toothache.

  • However, the boy’s guardian Ms Wanja Karuku, said there was more than what meets the eye and disputed the version that the boy committed suicide.

The guardian of an 11-year-old boy who reportedly committed suicide in a school dormitory on Monday is demanding answers from the institution.

According to Maara OCPD Mr Johnstone Kabusia, the class five boy, Tonny Muthomi, from Kajiunduthi Boarding Primary School hanged himself on the bed using his leather belt.

He said the matter was reported to them by the school's head teacher, Ms Catherine Murithi.

The officer said the incident happened shortly after the boy arrived from home where he had gone for medication after developing a toothache.

“After the tooth was extracted, the guardian accompanied the boy back to school and left but the pupil took his life after he was allowed into the dormitory to keep his luggage according to the statement by the head teacher,” said Mr Kabusia.

GROANING

He added that the deceased was discovered by a colleague, who found him groaning in pain while dangling on the belt on the double-decker bed.

The officer said the pupil rushed out and alerted a teacher who later took the boy to Chogoria Mission Hospital in an unconscious state but was confirmed dead on arrival.

Mr Kabusia told journalists that preliminary investigations show the boy could have committed suicide because he did not want to study in the school.

Maara Sub County Director of Education Mr Samuel Macharia told journalists that they were collaborating with the police in the investigations.

 “We don’t want to speculate on the real cause of the death until the police conclude their investigations. So, for now we believe that the boy committed suicide,” he said.

DISPUTED 

However, the boy’s guardian Ms Wanja Karuku, said there was more than what meets the eye and disputed the version that the boy committed suicide.

She refuted the allegation by police that the boy was not pleased with the school adding that he was barely a term-old in the school.

According to her, the deceased was the one who preferred to be taken there.

“The boy was very jovial when I was taking him back to school and I had also trained him and I have never heard him complain about the school. This is a total shock,” she said.

She said she had been living with the boy since he was three years old after his father died.