Standard 7 pupil commits suicide in Kisii

A family at Motonyoni village in Kisii County's Masaba South Sub-county is in deep shock after their child killed himself in mysterious circumstances.

Aston Nyabwari 12, a standard 7 pupil at the nearby Motonyoni Primary, left school shortly after taking lunch on Friday only for his body to be found with a rope tied around its neck and lying motionless in a room in his hut.

His parents Samuel Mbeche and Esther Samuel said the pupil had been counselled by his mathematics teacher during a class meeting before the incident.

The boy is said to have sneaked out of the school compound before he took his life using a rope.

His parents disputed reports the boy might have been beaten by the teacher during the 'counselling session.'

"My daughter was there during the meeting and confirms that Anaton was not beaten by anyone; the teacher only gave him counselling on how he can improve his maths grade. We don't know at what point he decided to end his life," Mbeche said.

"He returned home an hour later and proceeded to his room and locked himself before killing himself," Esther said.

The pupil's grandfather Charles Mbeche and other villagers had to break the window to gain entry into the house after he failed to respond to their calls.

It was after they got in that they found his body sprawled on the floor with blood oozing out of the mouth.

The mother said she was away in Kitale while the father was in Nairobi.

They separately returned to the gory news of the suicide of their young one.

" We can't rightly tell what made him take his life but we leave it to God," Esther told The Star.

Teachers at Motonyoni distanced their school from the incident saying the pupil was only given guidance as requested by his sister.

" Class conference is held and parents can give feedback on areas they feel their children can be helped. Anston, just like other parents, was guided after the meeting took lunch with his peers before he slipped out without school permission, " said a senior teacher at the school.

He said the child did not receive any corporal punishment and that no beating of pupils is done at the school.

" No pupil is beaten here and in any case, the government had outlawed beating in schools,'" the teacher told The Star.

The school headteacher had already left school by the time journalists arrived.