This archive report was first published on 27 July 2021.
On July 27, 2021, a disturbing incident shook Namakhele village in Kabuchai constituency, Bungoma County. A 46-year-old man, identified as Martin Juma, left residents in shock after opting to dig his own grave and later commit suicide to avoid paying a Ksh 15,000 debt.
According to reports, Juma confessed that he wanted to commit suicide because he owed different people in the area money and they were pestering him to pay up. With no means of income, Juma felt that there was no point in being alive, leading him to take drastic measures.
The incident attracted a huge crowd of locals, coming just a few days after a middle-aged man in the same location slaughtered a cow and drank its blood before disappearing.
Area Chief Bonface Ndiera responded to the scene, expressing concern over the rise of such cases in the area. He appealed to local pastors to intervene and pray for the residents' deliverance.
Local elder Kizito Lukorito explained that, according to Luhya customs, when a person is found digging their own grave, they should be severely beaten and a black sheep slaughtered to cleanse bad spirits before a banana trunk is buried in the grave. Failure to perform this custom, Lukorito warned, risks losing a close family member.
