IN A BIZARRE INCIDENT, Two
Brothers Conspired To Take Their Own Lives In Protest At Their Father's
Decision To Give Part Of The Familyin A Sad Twist Of Fate, Vincent Kipkorir
Koech, 19, And Gilbert Kibet Koech, 17, Died By Suicide In The Same Tree Branch
By The River, An Estimated One Kilometre From Their Home.
The Incident Occurred On
Friday At The Amalo River In Kapsilibwa Village, Situated In Choronok, Sagamian
Location Within Narok County, Kenya, As Reported By Both Police And Local
Administrators.
Land To Their Stepmother, With Whom He Has
Been Estranged For 44 Years. It Came Two Days After Their Step-Brother Was Buried
On Family Land - A Move That Is Said To Have Angered The Two Young Men, Who
Caused Chaos During And After The Funeral.
A Police Report Seen By
The Nation Said The Reason For The Suicide Was That Their Father - Mzee David
Towett - Had Two Wives And The Eldest Had Returned Home, Prompting Their Father
To Agree To Give Her Part Of The Family Land.
"Out Of The 0.8
Acres Of Land The Family Has, The Father Of The Two Boys, After Consultation
With Relatives And Elders, Decided To Give 0.3 Acres To His First Wife From
Whom He Has Been Separated Since 1978," Said Mr Patrick Kosgey, The Chief
Of Sagamian.
Mr Kosgey Said When The
Boys Went Missing From Their Home On Friday Morning, Relatives Began A Search
And Were Shocked To Find Their Lifeless Bodies Hanging Side By Side From A
Tree.
The Stepmother - Mrs
Alice Chebet - Who Has Eight Children, Was Said To Have Been Welcomed Back Into
The Fold After Consultation With Elders And Buried One Of Her Sons At The
Homestead On Wednesday.
Mrs Chebet Is Said To
Have Lost Her Son More Than Three Weeks Ago But Had No Land To Bury Him On,
Hence The Decision To Reconcile With Her Husband.
The Woman Is Also Said To
Have Lost Another Child A Few Years Earlier, Who Was Buried On Land Belonging
To Relatives In Neighbouring Bomet County.
The Two Young Men
Allegedly Threatened To Commit Suicide As A Pair On Thursday And Took Ropes
With Them, But The Matter Was Not Taken Seriously As They Were Known For Making
Threats.
Before They Left The
Homestead, Much To The Surprise Of Elders And Villagers, They Partially
Destroyed The Family Houses And Had Refused To Help Bury Their Step-Brother The
Previous Day.
"The Two (Deceased)
Had Previous Criminal Records, Including Breaking Into Two Churches In The
Area," The Police Report Said.
It Is Alleged That They
Stole Instruments And Curtains From The Two Churches And Sold Them In The
Belief That The Congregation Would Not Press Charges And That, At Worst, They
Would Be "Struck By Thunder" As Punishment Leading To Their Death.
The Bodies Have Since
Been Taken To The Longisa County Referral Hospital Mortuary In Neighbouring
Bomet County To Await Post-Mortem Examination Before Being Released To The
Families For Burial.
"It Is Unfortunate
That The Family Will Be Burying The Two Brothers Days After Their Step-Brother
Was Buried," Said Stephen Saitoti, The Sagamian Member Of The County
Assembly.
Cases Of Two Family
Members Taking Their Lives At The Same Time, For The Same Reasons, Are Unheard
Of In The Region.