Last moments of student who hang himself

Piece by: KNA By Philip Onyango

23 September 2021

Sensitive

Tragedy hit a family in Siaya Tuesday evening when a standard seven pupil committed suicide moments after he was heard complaining of persistent caning by one of his teachers.

Evans Onyango, a pupil at Kalenjuok primary school in Alego / Usonga succumbed as he was receiving treatment at the Siaya county referral hospital where he had been rushed after family members found him dangling on a tree next to his mother’s house.

According to the deceased’s sister, Millicent Onyango, his brother came from school bitter that a teacher had formed the habit of caning him every now and then.

He complained that he was fed up of a Mr Dan’s cane. “Oroma gi del ma gima Mr Dan dwaro ga no, obiro yudo (I’ve had enough of his cane and he will soon get whatever he wants),” Onyango quoted the deceased.

She said that moments after his brother’s lamentations, he left the house only for his body to be discovered hanging by a tree.

“His siblings, answering a distress call by their niece who had stumbled on the hanging pupil, cut the rope and rushed him to Siaya county referral hospital where frantic efforts were made to save his life,” said Onyango.

Onyango said that the deceased passed on while undergoing treatment.

When word reached the school yesterday morning, angry pupils and parents staged a demonstration calling for action against the teacher alleged to have frustrated the pupil to the point of committing suicide.

The school community which was joined by the local residents trekked for over six kilometres to Boro chief’s camp seeking government’s intervention and immediate transfer of the teacher.

Siaya sub-county director of education Richard Obonyo who addressed the demonstrators promised to ensure that appropriate action was taken against anyone found culpable.

The deceased’s body is lying at the Siaya county referral hospital mortuary awaiting post mortem.