A 19-year-old water vendor identified as Ojode has committed suicide in Kawangware over a disagreement with his father.
Ojode's body was found lying lifeless at his father's local barbershop near Kawangware Primary school at around noon.
He is said to have taken poison after being punished by his father for failing to surrender at least Sh300 made from vending water to households in the area on Tuesday.
According to his roommate, also a cousin who declined to be named, Ojode asked him to surrender a key to the family barbershop where they spent the night together and was found to have committed suicide shortly after leaving him at work.
The two use a cart in vending water for Sh20 on every 20-litres sold to the area residents.
"We did not have any issue but he was not talking to anyone in the morning. He woke up very early to start selling water and I joined him. After a few hours, he asked me for the key. I continued to do the work as I thought maybe he needed to pick something from the house and join me later," recounts the cousin.
"I was surprised to see people crowding at the Kinyozi and that's when I knew all was not well. We went in and found him a sleep. They are saying he is dead and now police have carried him away," the cousin told this writer.
His body was carried away by officers from Muthangari police station.
Residents stare in grief as police vehicle drives away with Ojode's body [Source/Orina Winnie]
Ojode's neighbours however intimated to this writer that the vendor was angered by his father after receiving heavy punishment for not surrendering the money collected on Tuesday.
"Yesterday at around 8pm they had an exchange with his father. He beat him a lot and he had bite-marks on the neck. We could hear him demanding for the money and was even threatening him that he'd kill him if he does not surrender it to him," said Christine Achieng'.
Ojode's family hail from Rachuonyo, Homa Bay County and has been living with his dad, step-mother, cousin and sister in Kawangware where they operate a Kinyozi and sell water as a means of livelihood.
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