“Good day, guys. I am not feeling well today. I may sleep a little bit longer than usual. I call it eternal sleep."
This was the last post Fredrick Kiptui, a 26-year-old father of one in Eldama Ravine, Baringo County, made on his Facebook page on March 12 shortly before he went missing last Wednesday.
Four days later, his body was found floating in the Gurusalal River in Eldama Ravine last Saturday.
Police and his family believe he died of suicide after losing Sh2,000 on a bet.
Family struggles with gambling
His, is a story of betting addiction that ended in a suicide death, his family has now revealed.
The young family operated a hotel in Eldama Ravine Town, and according to the widow, Ms Naomi Jelagat, her husband was a betting addict who always drained their proceeds on betting.
Last month, when she tried to question him about his bad habit, he shot back, and even went ahead to write a suicide note, she revealed to Nation.Africa .
“Since the start of this year, he has used all the money we collected from the business on betting, more than five times, to the extent that we go without food. I have bailed him out several times. I questioned him on why he does that, and instead of being remorseful, he left a suicide note,” Ms Jelagat narrated.
Police say Kiptui’s cryptic message on Facebook, coupled with the loss of money in a gaming app, led to speculation that he may have been going through personal struggles before his death.
Fredrick Kiptui, a 26-year-old father from Eldama Ravine, died of suspected suicide after losing Sh2,000 on a bet.
Photo credit: Pool | Nation
The toll of betting addiction
Close friends have revealed that he had recently lost Sh2,000 while playing a popular gambling game, which may have added to his emotional distress, police told Nation.Africa .
On Sunday, March 9, Mr Kiptui woke up shortly after 8 am, ate his breakfast, and left his rented house in Shauri Yako village, Eldama Ravine, without informing his wife where he was going.
Three hours later, at around 11 am, the father of one went back to the house, threw their hotel keys into the house through the window, and left again without saying a word, his widow told Nation.Africa .
“He had left his mobile phone on the table and I went through his messages and realised that he had no money in his MPesa account, and I suspected that he had used all the money from our hotel business in betting, as usual,” said Ms Jelagat.
At around 2.30 pm, the father of one returned to the house, and as much as she had wanted to question him about why he had used their hotel money for betting, again, she had held back, because her attempt to do so in a previous incident had resulted in a suicide scare.
He would, however, open up and confess to her that he had drained all the Sh2,000 they had collected from their business the previous day- a Saturday, on betting.
Ms Jelagat says she told him she had no more money to bail him out this time, and they may have to close down the business premises until they get money.
According to the mother of one, it was not the first time her husband had spent all the proceeds from the hotel business on betting.
In the three days between Sunday and last Wednesday when he went missing, Ms Jelagat believed her husband had considered leaving home for Nakuru, where he previously worked to search for menial jobs.
She had packed him a few of his belongings, and since they didn’t have money, the couple agreed to sell their woofer to raise his transport fare, she told Nation.Africa .
Before he went missing on Wednesday, however, Mr Kiptui had excused himself and told his wife that he was going to the latrine outside.
Fredrick Kiptui, a 26-year-old father from Eldama Ravine, died of suspected suicide after losing Sh2,000 on a bet.
Photo credit: Pool | Nation
He had taken a long time to return to the house, and when she went to the latrine to check, it was locked from the outside.
She had inquired from the neighbours and his relatives if they had seen him, but no one had.
“Hours turned into days as we mounted a search for him without success. He had left his mobile phone in the house. The next day, I realized he had posted a message on social media, shortly before he left the house,” said Ms Jelagat.
The family had filed a case of a missing person at Eldama Ravine Police Station, and a search was mounted in the neighbourhood.
Last Saturday, the search team found his sandals beside the Gurusalal River, raising suspicions that he might have died at the river.
His decomposing body was retrieved the next day, still in the clothes on the morning of last Sunday, floating in the river.
Social media and mental health
Eldama Ravine Sub-County Police Commander Joel Chepkwony said following the discovery of the body floating near the Gurusalal waterfall and Mr Kiptui’s Facebook message, detectives were now probing a suicide angle.
“These words (on Facebook) have since taken a tragic significance, as his body was indeed discovered next to the waterfall, a few meters from where he lived. The body appeared to have been in the water for several days, and signs of decomposition were evident. We confirmed its identity with the help of the family,” Mr Chepkwony said.
“The matter is under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to determine whether the death was a result of suicide or some other cause. Further concerns have been raised by Kiptui’s recent social media activity, and in his last post,” noted the Sub-County Police boss.
However, without concrete evidence, authorities are focusing on all possible leads as they work to uncover the truth, Mr Chepkwony said.
“The body did not bear any visible injuries. It has been transferred to Mercy Mission Hospital Mortuary for a post-mortem examination, which will hopefully shed more light on the circumstances surrounding his untimely death,” said Mr Chepkwony.
