Village reels after two men take their lives in land-sale tragedies

Deaths by suicide have shaken a village in Kiambu County after two middle-aged men drowned themselves in community dams.

Rwamburi village in Ndeiya, Kikuyu, has witnessed two tragic deaths weeks apart, prompting villagers to come together to address the issue. They have formed a village committee to engage young men, who, after selling land and misusing the money, often fall into frustration and depression, sometimes culminating in suicide.

The community is now alarmed that, without financial training, many young men selling their land may follow the same tragic path.

A few weeks ago, the community discovered the body of Waititu Njenga, who drowned in a dam dug by the government to aid local irrigation.

According to the elders, Waititu had subdivided and sold his land. After receiving a substantial sum, he failed to use it wisely and took his life after losing all the money.

Even before the wreaths on Waititu’s grave could wither, Rwamburi residents were woken on April 3 by desperate calls to retrieve John Muthumbi’s body, who had drowned in a dam after misusing proceeds from a land sale.

Muthumbi, formerly a boda boda rider in Kwambira near Limuru Town, had sold his land and exhausted the funds in unknown ways.

On the fateful day, a frustrated and heavily intoxicated Muthumbi returned home, removed his clothes in front of his sister, and walked into the water-filled dam. Efforts by his sister to dissuade him fell on deaf ears, and Muthumbi disappeared into the water.

It took Kiambu County Fire Department specialist divers to retrieve his body using specialised equipment after locals were unable to reach him, as he had become trapped in clay soil sediment.

There was pin-drop silence followed by desperate cries when the divers emerged with Muthumbi’s half-naked body.

Nathan Ng’ang’a, one of the village elders leading efforts to invite financial advisers, said it is unsettling that young men are risking their lives after gaining large sums from land sales.

We have a big problem here. Young men sell land after subdivision, some without bank accounts, and spend money in drinking dens and other vices. When the money ends, frustration leads to depression and death,” Nathan said.

He added that the elders are working to educate young men on managing their money wisely, particularly to save.

“A loss of two lives weeks apart in the same village, in the same manner – diving to their deaths in dams – is distressing. We are worried others may follow the same path as we have plentiful land here. Muthumbi’s death pains us greatly, and we must take responsibility to curb this trend,” Nathan said.

James Mwaura, another Rwamburi elder, told The Standard that the dams, initially dug to aid food production, have become a source of anguish for the community.

“We now regret having allowed these dams to be dug. They are a source of sorrow and agony, surpassing their original purpose. Who would want to draw water from a dam where human bodies have been retrieved? They remain an eyesore and constant reminder of lives lost; they are a sort of wet grave,” Mwaura said.

Like Nathan, Mwaura said that quick money without financial discipline leaves parents heartbroken, forced to bury their children.

“Parents subdivide land hoping their sons will prosper, but many sons sell without knowing how to manage the funds. The result is deaths. As parents, we are in great pain. Every morning, we pass by the dams in anxiety, unsure when another body may float,” he said.