This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
On a fateful Tuesday, the quiet village of Korongoi in Bureti sub-county, Kericho was shaken by a tragic incident that would leave the community in shock and grief. A 29-year-old man, Festus Kiprotich Bett, had taken his own life by jumping into a 20-ft well.
According to Bureti Sub-County Police Commander Felician Nafula, the incident was reported to the police by the area assistant chief at around 11:30 am. The matter unfolded when a villager, Joan Cherono, who had gone to fetch water at around 7 am, discovered a lifeless body floating inside the well.
Cherono recounted her harrowing experience, saying she had initially noticed dirty water in the well with clothes floating on top. Upon closer inspection, she used a long stick to jab the clothes, only to realize there was a body. She immediately raised the alarm to alert other villagers.
The deceased, Festus Kiprotich Bett, was a boda boda rider who also supplemented his income as a casual labourer at a nearby tea plantation. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Resident Mzee Joshua Koech revealed that the man had seemed stressed over the last week and had even told fellow tea pickers that he would jump into a hole. The community is left to ponder why the man's threats were not taken seriously, particularly given the domestic disputes he had with his wife and father.
As the news of the tragic incident spread, scores of villagers gathered at the scene, many without face masks, to watch in disbelief as security officers carried the body away in a police vehicle. The community is still reeling from the shock, with some murmuring that the deceased ought to have shared his problems instead of taking his own life.
Police took the body to Kapkatet Sub-County Hospital mortuary for autopsy, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and a community in mourning.
