'I have decided to follow Jesus': Nyamira teen's final words to chief before suicide
Vane Omari holds her one-year-old grandchild at their home in Bogeche village, Nyamira County. The child was left behind by her daughter Bonareri Otuke who committed suicide after allegedly being humiliated by a local administrator.
What you need to know:
- Joyce Bonareri, an 18-year-old student, took her own life after alleged public humiliation and caning by a local administrator.
- Her suicide note, addressed to the assistant chief, revealed the depth of her anguish and requested care for her young child.
- The tragedy has sparked calls for justice, better treatment of adolescents, and systemic changes in how society supports young girls.
When we make our way to the home of Joyce Bonareri, an 18-year-old Form One student who tragically took her own life last week, we are greeted with an air full of grief and disbelief.
The incident, which has left the community of Bogeche village in shock, occurred after an alleged caning and public humiliation by Amabuko assistant Chief Simon Osano, reportedly for failing to attend school.
The homestead is a hive of activity, with neighbours gathering to offer condolences. We meet the deceased girl's parents, Jared Omari and Vane Omari inside their two-roomed mud house.
Mr Omari, visibly dejected, welcomes us with a gentle voice. His wife clutches their one-year-old grandchild – the child Joyce left behind. The pain etched on their faces is palpable as Vane musters the courage to speak about her firstborn's untimely death.
"The assistant chief took advantage of our state of poverty to cane my daughter," Vane says, her voice breaking.
"The narrative being peddled that he was disciplining Joyce because of not going to school is blatant lies. She had only failed to go to school for a day. She had come home to pick reams of papers for use in school. Her father and I had gone to do some menial jobs to get money to buy her what she needed."
The parents recount how the assistant chief had summoned them to discuss their daughter's alleged truancy. Omari accompanied Joyce to the administrator's home, where the situation quickly escalated into a nightmare.
"When I asked him why he was beating my daughter, he turned to me and gave me two strokes of cane. The assistant chief also made me cut some fodder for his livestock as punishment," Omari recalls, tears welling in his eyes. The memory of that day clearly haunts him.
Before taking her life, Joyce left behind a moving suicide note written in a mix of Ekegusii, English, and Kiswahili. In it, she made peace with her maker and, in a heart-breaking twist, asked the administrator to care for her child.
"I have decided to follow Jesus. Kwa hayo yote umenitendea, uzidi kubarikiwa. Sasa umenichapa mbele ya baba, uncle na watu wengine – (for all that you have done to me, may you continue to receive blessings. You have caned me in front of my father and other people," reads part of the note.
In the note, she also addressed the administrator directly. It bore the heading ‘Letter to area Chief Simion Osano.’
"Let this note reach you wherever you are. Make sure you attend my burial," she wrote. "It's not my wish to take my own life and I am not the first one to die.
Read also: Class Six girl hangs self over pregnancy
In a heart-wrenching twist, Joyce entrusted the care of her child to the very person she held responsible for her anguish.
"Take care of my child, I sincerely plead with you," the note reads.
The deceased says she endured a horrendous ordeal and extreme embarrassment at the administrator’s office when she was being punished. She claims she was called names and told that she had an insatiable appetite for visiting boys in their houses.
Jared Omari (centre) Joyce Bonareri's father with other villagers at his home in Bogeche village, Nyamira County.
Most disturbingly, she alleges that the assistant chief whipped her private parts with stinging nettle – a plant known for its painful, irritating hairs.
Joyce's death has left her family shattered. Her father remembers her as hardworking and obedient.
"She had told me that one day, she would construct for me a good house and get us out of this grass-thatched hut," he says, his voice heavy with grief.
This incident is not an isolated case. In 2019, a similar tragedy occurred when a 14-year-old girl in Kabiangek, Bomet County, took her life after being shamed for menstruating in class. The girl's mother said a teacher had called the teenager "dirty" for soiling her uniform and ordered her to leave the class.
Margaret Njoki, a counselling psychologist at Par-Akletos Counselling Centre (Pacc), provides insight into why adolescents might react so drastically to public humiliation.
"The Prefrontal Cortex, which is just behind the forehead, is the last part of the brain to mature in adolescents and most important for decision making, problem-solving, planning, and prioritising," Njoki explains.
She emphasies the urgent need for education on handling adolescents.
"The media, counsellors and psychologists, churches, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and other stakeholders need to get involved. It is important to learn how to handle this group of people with a lot of care at this very delicate age," Njoki concludes.
Fida-Kenya Executive Director, Anne Ireri, condemns the public humiliation Joyce faced.
"The kind of victim-shaming, abuse, and public humiliation she allegedly faced is unacceptable, especially from a public officer," Ireri states.
She promises to seek justice for Joyce and her family, offering legal representation and psychosocial support.
Anne calls for systemic change in how society treats and supports young girls.
"There is a need for education and awareness about the importance of treating all individuals, especially young girls, with respect and dignity. We also need to ensure that those who breach set legal and policy frameworks and violate them should be held accountable," she adds.
As the community grapples with this tragedy, questions remain unanswered. The post-mortem examination conducted at St Catherine Ichuni Hospital was inconclusive. This uncertainty adds another layer of pain for Joyce's family, who are desperate for answers and closure.
Efforts to reach the assistant chief and the Masaba South Deputy County Commissioner for comment were unsuccessful.
When we visited Bogeche Secondary School, where Joyce was a student, the reception was cold. A teacher informed us that the principal was not in.
