Kericho man commits suicide by jumping into flooded quarry

 A 33-year-old-man committed suicide by diving into the flooded Cheptiting quarry located near Kapsoit trading center. 

An eyewitness said the deceased rode his Boda-Boda motorcycle to the site in Belgut constituency at 1PM on Thursday and after handing it over to be washed, he walked to a secluded corner of the quarry and dived into the flooded quarry.

An open packet of pesticide recovered from the deceased’s jacket gave an indication that he took poison before jumping into the murky water in the 30 meters deep quarry. 

The abandoned quarry was dug by the contractor who had won the tender to construct the  Kapsoit-Sosiot-Sondu road. 

“We were washing cars and motorcycles on the fringes of the quarry when the deceased arrived and while we were distracted by our work he dived to the deep end of the quarry. Our efforts to save the deceased bore no fruit,” said Ronald Chelule.

The body of the deceased was recovered by local divers from Bureti constituency who risked their lives to dive into the murky waters to retrieve the body. 

Kericho County Commissioner Muktar Abdi who was flanked by Belgut Deputy County Commissioner Jamleck Mbuba expressed concern over the rising number of suicide incidences, especially among the youth. 

“Statistics from the police indicate the suicide among the youth is on the rise. This is very disturbing because these are people the community would have otherwise relied on for development,” said Abdi. 

The county commissioner asked residents undergoing stressful life situations to learn to share their issues instead of resolving to commit suicide. 

“If people learn how to confide in trusted family members, members of the clergy, friends neighbours and even government officials, the troubling issues could be solved in one way or another,” said Abdi. 

 The body of the deceased was removed to Kericho District Hospital mortuary to await post-mortem and burial arrangement.