“Shaving hair” Punishment Sends A Form 3 Into Committing Suicide.
A family in Nakuru County has been left in agony after their 16-year-old kin died by suicide.
Shamamcy Wanjiru, a Form 3 student at Langalanga Secondary School, is said to have committed suicide on Wednesday evening at her family’s home in Kaloleni, Nakuru.
Wanjiru’s actions, her family says, were triggered by the fact that she was punished by one of her teachers for unbraiding her hair on the closing day of the second term in mid-September.
Her family says that she was ordered to shave her hair then and the matter was
raised again by the same teacher when she reported for school on the opening day of the third term.
“Alikuja nyumbani Monday jioni akaambiwa na class teacher Tuesday asikuje shule akuje na mzazi sasa Wednesday wakaenda akaambiwa anyone…. alikuja nyumbani akiwa na hasira nikamwambia anyoe akasema atajua vile atanyoa,” Jane Wairimu, Wanjiru’s relative, told Citizen TV.
According to the family, Wanjiru penned an apology letter to the teacher, a day before she committed suicide by hanging.
Her family says that she had a silent and introverted nature but they did not in any way expect her to take her own life.
The family has since left at a loss, with relatives saying their kin had a bright future.
“Alikuwa anasema anataka kuwa nurse. Sikudhani hiyo punishment alipewa ndio ingemcost maisha yake; walikuwa wasichama wawili. Huyo Mwalimu hakujua mtoto atakatisha maisha yake juu ya kunyoa nywele,” Rosemary Wanjiku, another one of the deceased’s kin, said.
Nakuru County Education Director Fredrick Osewe says the case is isolated and that the incident did not happen within the school compound.