State counsel dies by suicide after fun night

Kevin Gesire, 34, was found dead in his apartment, he had been involved in a road accident where his car, a BMW 116, rammed into guard rails on his way home after a night out with his friends.

Photo credit: Pool

A State counsel attached to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Kitui County who took his own life yesterday spent the last hours of his life partying with friends.

Hours before Kevin Gesire, 34, was found dead in his apartment, he had been involved in a road accident where his car, a BMW 116, rammed into guard rails on his way home after a night out with his friends.

It is not clear whether the crash was an attempt on his own life, but the prosecutor did not turn up for work at the Kitui law courts yesterday morning. His lifeless body was then discovered in his house.

His colleagues and friends were shocked to learn of his death by suicide moments after police broke into his house and found his body dangling from the bathroom window. His neighbours had alerted the police.

Mr Gesire had not shown any signs of depression but had left a suicide note that suggested he was struggling in life, said his senior colleague Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Bonnie Okemwa.
“He left a suicide note that said he was unhappy for not clinching a job as a magistrate during recent interviews at the Judiciary,” Mr Okemwa said in a telephone interview.

Guard rails

Mr Okemwa explained that his office had established that Mr Gesire went partying after work on Monday evening until late into the night. On his way home he rammed into road guard rails, extensively damaging his car.

His friends helped him tow the car to his house.

Kitui Central sub-county police Commander Chrispus Ogutu ruled out foul play, saying his house was locked from inside and a belt was found around his neck.

“So far, we are treating this as a suicide based on our initial findings but a postmortem will be done before we conclude our investigations,” Mr Ogutu said.

A colleague at the DPP’s office, who requested not to be named, disclosed to the Nation that the officer was plagued by debts and marital woes, and had recently separated from his wife.

His damaged car was towed to the Kitui Police Station while his body was taken to Tribute Funeral Home in Syongila.