Depressed? Family speaks on Kenyan student who died in Finland
The family of the Kenyan student who died while partaking in further studies in Finland has revealed what could have led to his death.
The 26 year-old Rodgers Kipruto, who had enrolled for a degree in nursing after quitting his job as a nurse at Nakuru Level-five Hospital, is said to have committed suicide, in a move that has taken his relatives by surprise.
The deceased was the third born in a family of six.
His elder brother, Boniface Kemboi, recounted the late moments he had with the deceased, moments before he passed on.
“My brother led a frustrated life after Laurea university terminated their studies in March, 2023, after completing his first semester. Although he received support from Kenyan friends at the university and family at home, he was at his lowest point due to the high expectations he held when he joined the university,” said Mr Kemboi.
He disclosed that his brother had sought menial work for upkeep and occasionally depended on support from the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church in Finland where he was a member.
“It took time before we realized our brother was suffering from severe depression in the foreign land. It is only after he shared a number of family members with his friend Daniel from Elgeyo Marakwet that he confided to us what was going on,” said Mr Kemboi.
He added: “Through the conversation with Daniel, the family managed to send him Sh50,000 for upkeep and that was a turning point when he started sharing the difficulties he was undergoing abroad.”
The family spokesman said that the amount was sent in two installments of Sh30,000 and Sh20,000.
According to Kemboi, their kin was paid some Sh60,000 from a menial job as a cleaner that almost changed his life only for the situation to turn for worse when it came to settling fees and accommodation fees.
He stated that the money enabled him together with a friend to secure an apartment that was going for Sh18,000 up from the previous one that was going at Sh13,000.
“My brother’s main worry was how our struggling parents could raise university tuition fees considering that when he was back home he was employed and expected to raise monies while studying for upkeep but that was not to be,” he stated.
He explained that his parents had settled Sh150,000 and were in the process of raising another Sh500,000 by next Monday to pay fees to enable him to continue with his studies.
“I last talked with him on Tuesday morning and he complained about feeling unwell . . . he was feeling fatigued and pain at the joints. He later sought medical attention at a nearby health facility but the diagnosis didn’t show any ailment,” added Mr Kemboi.
He further said that they only learnt sad news of his demise from a woman popularly ‘Mama Kenya Finland’ who called them.
“Some neighbors and friends had earlier known about the incident from Tuesday evening but they kept it secret until 6 am the following day when they came home and shared the sad news before it was circulated in social media platforms,” he noted.
On Thursday, family members, relatives and friends gathered at their Chrichir farm in Kesses, Uasin Gishu County to discuss the next move.
“A team from county government have also visited our home and mourned with us but the matter is now being handled by homicide department from Finish government,” said Mr Kemboi.
The family is now appealing to national and county government to assist them to bring the body of their kin home to enable them accord him a decent send-off.
“We are still waiting for communication from the homicide department, Kenya embassy in Helsinki, Finland, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and county government,” he added.
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