Class Six girl hangs self over pregnancy
A Standard Six pupil in Migori County committed suicide due to stigma over her pregnancy. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Mr Nthenge said police had launched investigations that will involve questioning of the girl’s parents and relatives.
- Residents of Nyatike decried the soaring cases of teen pregnancies in the region.
A Standard Six pupil committed suicide in Nyatike, Migori County, after realising she was pregnant.
Morine Juma, 12, of Kimai Primary School in Kanyarwanda area, hanged herself with a rope at her grandfather’s homestead on Sunday.
Family members said they found her body dangling on a rope in one of the deserted houses in the compound.
“She had gone missing since Saturday and we became worried about her whereabouts.
"We noticed that the door to one of the houses in the compound was locked from inside.
"When the door was broken and we gained entry into the house, we were shocked to see the body dangling on a rope and a note lying beside her,” Ms Mary Wangare, a relative, said.
STIGMA
According to Ms Wangare, the note indicated that life had become too hard for the pupil given that she was pregnant, and her parents and other family members were “too harsh” on her.
Ms Wangare said she had called the area chief Nashon Odira last week to report that the girl was pregnant.
Mr Odira noted that the girl had moved to her grandfather’s homestead.
“Her parents said they noticed she had gained weight and suspected she was pregnant, but they never asked her who had made her pregnant,” the chief said.
“We had started following up on the case when I was informed that she had taken her life,” he said.
INVESTIGATION
Morine’s parents and grandparents were too shocked to speak.
Migori police boss Joseph Nthenge said: “In the note that she left behind, she said that she was being frustrated by some of her relatives. On the fateful day, she locked herself in one of the houses in the compound and used a rope to commit suicide.”
Mr Nthenge said police had launched investigations that will involve questioning of the girl’s parents and relatives.
TEEN PREGNANCIES
The girl’s body was moved to Migori Level Four Hospital mortuary.
In the wake of the incident, residents of Nyatike decried the soaring cases of teen pregnancies in the region.
They called on the government and law enforcement agencies to help end the menace that has seen many young girls drop out of school.
