Residents of Sagamian Location in Narok County were left in shock after two brothers reportedly committed suicide by hanging themselves on the same tree.
The men who are siblings are reported to have hung themselves following a decision by their father which they disagreed with.
According to a March 22,2024, police report, the two brothers Gilbert Kibet and Vincent Kipkorir committed suicide after their father decided to reconcile with his first wife, whom he had divorced years ago.
“Today at 1430hrs it was reported at Kapsilibwa Village Choronk area in Sagamian Location that two sons of Mzee David Towett namely Vincent Kipkorir Koech aged 19 years and Gilbert Kibet Koech aged 17 years had committed suicide by hanging themselves on a tree along Amalo River,” read part of the police the report.
Narok Deputy County Commissioner Felix Kisalu further revealed that the father of the two had resolved to allocate a land to his reconciled first wife for her to settle on, a decision the duo didn’t come to terms with.
“The reason for agreeing to commit suicide was that their father had two wives and that the elder one namely Alice Chebet who had been divorced many years ago returned home and the father decided to give her a piece of land,” he said.
In viral photos seen by The Kenya Times, the bodies of the two men could be seen hanging on a tree beside a river.
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Additionally, other photos circulating online showed the two bodies in a police vehicle. Police officers and Crime Scene specialists from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) visited and processed the scene before carrying the bodies.
Two Brothers threaten to commit murder
At the same time, the police report indicated that the two had threatened to kill the whole stepfamily and their father before finally resulting to take their own lives.
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The police further revealed that the duo had previous criminal records as they had been reported to have stolen in two churches within their area, among other criminal activities.
Their bodies were moved to the Longisa County Referral Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem.
According to statistics, people in Kenya attempt suicide 20 times daily on average, while at least four people die by taking their lives each day in the country.
On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that about 700,000 people die by suicide every year in the world, making it the second leading cause of death among individuals aged between 15 and 29 years.
These figures are however likely to be conservative due to the legal ramifications of suicide and its taboo nature which discourage open discussions.
