A 17-year-old on Thursday night committed suicide in his uncle’s compound after his mother reportedly confiscated his phone.
The incident took place at Gembe west location in the Suba North constituency, Homa Bay County.
Barack Onyango was a form one student at Naya secondary school in Rarieda sub-county, Siaya County.
According to the area chief Michael Otieno, the lifeless body of the minor was found dangling on a tree on Friday morning.
“I received a report that a lifeless body of a boy had been spotted hanging on a tree before I rushed to the scene,” said the administrator.
“Upon inquiry from the relatives, it is said that his mother had spotted him with a smartphone phone which he brought home from school before confiscating it a matter which seems to have not gone well with the deceased,” he said.
He said the boy had been hiding the phone from their parents for fear that it would be confiscated.
The mother finally saw the phone and snatched it from him. According to the chief, the act might have angered the boy leading to his suicidal decision.
“The mother found out about the phone the boy had been hiding from them and snatched it, this might have angered the boy prompting him to commit suicide,” the administrator said.
The officer urged the parents to use a more gentle approach in dealing with such cases to avoid incidences of young children taking their lives.
The body has since been taken to Kirindo hospital mortuary for postmortem.
