Sam West sadly recounts younger brother's suicide

11 September 2021

• "His tongue was bitten, his eyes swollen and his face looked distressed. His neck is tightly gripped by the rope.

I looked at my little brother's lifeless body and hugged him tightly."- Sam West

He had been suspended from Nyahururu High school after being involved in a strike but on the day he was to report back to school, he was nowhere to be found.

"A week before his disappearance he had been suspended from school. The reason for the suspension was that he was involved in a school strike at Nyahururu High School.

He was supposed to report back to school with a parent.

On the day he was to report back to school he was nowhere to be found. Why would he hide from us?

Kwani he knew the teachers were waiting for him with a fimbo? But he was never scared of being caned.

He had been caned many times before because he never lacked on the noisemakers list.

Where was he hiding?

I called some of his friends who were also suspended to check on his whereabouts. None of them had seen him. "

Knowing that his brother had a girlfriend Sam decided to go and check at the girls home of his brother was there, to no avail.

" I suspected he had gone to see his girlfriend. Why had I not thought of that especially for a teenager like my brother?

But why would he hide just to see the girlfriend?

Ama the girlfriend was pregnant, I think that would scare a teenager to run away.

I decided to go look for him at the girl's home. "

Unknown to Sam his brother's lifeless body had already been found. He could feel the hint in his father's voice when he called to ask him to go home.

"Just before I got there, my dad calls. I could sense the sadness in his voice. 'Sam please come home and hurry'.

'What happened, did you find him?' I asked? 'Just come home quickly' he responds and hangs up. I called my mum but she did not pick up, I tried again to which she picked up but was crying on the other side of the line.

"Mum, what's up?" I ask. She responds "Just come home, we have an emergency" She hangs up.

Sam got home to a very somber mood and a crowd gathered around speaking in whispers.

"I get home and the mood is very sad. It's a grieving mood. Dad looks at me and says in a small whisper.

'We found him. He is on the other side of the unfinished building. Go see him before the police come'

I walked very fast to the end of the building.

There was an unfinished house adjacent to our house. I walk into the first room. Then the next one. There is a big crowd of people in the other room."

Sam says although he knew what had happened, he still wished it was a bad dream he would wake up from.

"OMG. This can't be happening. A lifeless body is dangling in the air with a rope tied around the neck.

The body is facing the other way. The back of the head looks familiar. A green jumper and a checked pair of trousers.

Oh no! I am still praying this is not my brother. I hope it's a mistaken identity.

I push through the crowds and get to the front of the body. I just can't believe what I am seeing.

My little brother is lifeless. His tongue was bitten, his eyes swollen and his face looked distressed.

His neck is tightly gripped by the rope.

I looked at my little brother's lifeless body and hugged him tightly."

Adding

"The next couple of hours were so full of questions.

Why didn't he talk to me? What was that that was too big to handle? Why didn't he just open up?

Why did he apply a permanent solution to a temporary problem?

There is always an option in every problem.

You can never run out of options. I wish he had just spoken to someone. Don't allow your mind to cheat you that you have run out of options. There is always an option.

#MissYouGeoffreyMburu #WorldSuicideDay"

Sam has advised Kenyans to embrace mental health and walk through people battling such ailments.

May Geoffrey continue resting in peace.