Remandee Accused of Stealing From Mother’s Bar Dies by Suicide in Eldoret Court Cell
Cheruiyot had initially pleaded guilty to the charges on May 27, 2024, but later changed his plea to not guilty.
A 24-year-old remandee, facing charges of breaking into his mother’s bar and stealing beer, died by suicide while in custody at the Eldoret Law Courts yesterday at noon.
Turbo Sub-County Police Commander Patrick Wekesa confirmed the incident, identifying the deceased as Collins Cheruiyot. According to Wekesa, Cheruiyot took his own life after failing to convince his mother to withdraw the case against him.
“The suspect used his trouser lace to hang himself in the holding cell after making a desperate phone call to his mother, pleading with her to secure his release,” Wekesa stated.
Sources indicate that before taking his life, Cheruiyot had sought forgiveness from his mother and urged her to settle the matter out of court. However, she declined his request.
“Before committing suicide in a holding cell that was not in use, he had called his mother, pleading with her to withdraw the case, but she refused,” said an inmate who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Cheruiyot had initially pleaded guilty to the charges on May 27, 2024, but later changed his plea to not guilty. His case had faced multiple adjournments as he hoped his mother would drop the charges.
On Wednesday, he appeared before Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Kimani Mukabi, who scheduled the case for mention on March 27.
Court documents indicate that on May 24, 2024, at Burnt Forest Trading Centre in Ainabkoi Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County, Cheruiyot allegedly broke into Round Point Bar with the intent to steal.
A senior officer from Eldoret Main Prison revealed that Cheruiyot had previously attempted suicide while in remand.
“We had been counseling him to accept his situation and move on, but he struggled to come to terms with it,” the officer said.
Wekesa reported that efforts by court orderlies and fellow inmates to save him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).
“We received information that while in the holding cell alone, he removed his trouser lace, tied it to the window panes, and hanged himself,” Wekesa explained.
Other inmates noticed something was amiss when he suddenly went silent.
“They decided to check on him and were shocked to find him hanging. They immediately removed him and rushed him to MTRH, but he was pronounced dead while undergoing resuscitation,” Wekesa added.
The body has been moved to MTRH morgue as police launch investigations into the incident.
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