MWINGI Police find baby crying as man commits suicide

A 23-year-old man committed suicide in Mwingi township on December 27. Nicholas Nzau hanged himself on the truss of bathroom using a rope. He left no suicide note.

Mwingi Police Station in Mwingi town. Police in Mwingi Central Sub County are investigating a suicide case involving a 23-year-old man named Nicholas Nzau who allegedly committed suicide on December 27. Photo/FILE

 His wife Ruth Mwikali told Mwingi police that the crime took place at Soko Mpya estate which is about four kilometres from Mwingi Police Station.

Mrs Mwikali Muli had left her husband at home and went to do shopping but on coming back, she found that he had killed himself.

“She left the deceased in their bed seater room at about 340pm with their baby for shopping at Garissa Stage and came back after about 30 minutes and found the house locked. The baby was crying. The padlock was cut, door opened and found the deceased to have committed suicide” reads a police OB seen by Mwingi Times confirming the suicide.

His wife said that he committed suicide over stolen motorbike. It was stolen last month.

Nicholas Nzau, a hawker hanged himself inside his bathroom in their rental house.

Ruth Mwikali, his wife, said she had left him with their four-month-old daughter in the house.

“My husband’s motorbike was stolen a month ago and he has been very stressed as he used it in hawking business”, she said.

Nzau is said to have bought the motorbike at KSh.140,000 and could not come to terms with its disappearance.

“I used to encourage him not to worry as he would bounce back economically bearing, he was a very hardworking man,” Ruth added.

However, the advice fell on deaf ears as Nicholas took his life, something that left his wife in a rude shock.

House locked from outside

On Monday evening, Ruth returned to their rented house after work only to find the door of their house locked from inside.

She called her husband severally but the phone calls went unanswered.

She then went to look for him in his usual places but did not find him. At this point, she got worried about her daughter whom she had left with her father.

“After his bike was stolen, he stopped going to work as he used it to hawk juakali items. So, I used to leave him with our daughter in order to keep him busy and forget the frustrations he was going through,” she told Mwingi Times in tears.

She then decided to break the door and found her husband’s body dangling from the roof before running to her relatives and neighbours to inform them and later proceeded to Mwingi Police Station to report the incident.

Francis Muthiani, the deceased’s brother said the theft of his brother’s motorbike was a big blow to him and was in distress.

“We talked at around 12 noon on Monday and he told me he wanted to sleep as he had been experiencing lack of sleep at night and promised he would call back later in the evening only to be informed about his sudden death by his wife,” he said.

Miriam Nzyoki, a neighbour said Nicholas was a very calm person and was very reserved.

She also said most of the time he stayed in the house together with his young family.

He has left behind a wife and two children aged three years and four months.

On arrival at the crime scene, Mwingi town police officers photographed the scene and took the body to Mwingi Level Four Hospital mortuary, awaiting post-mortem.

STORY By BONIFACE MWANIKI, EDITED By MUSYOKA NGUI