University Graduate Sets Himself on Fire

The 27-year-old graduate of mechanical engineering from the University of Eldoret and a resident of Kirangari village in Kiambu tried to hurt himself near the Coast Bus Offices in Mombasa Central Business District.

Gituhu died at the Coast General Hospital after suffering 80% burns in the Friday, August 18, incident.

“I helped him out of the fire using a fire extinguisher we got from Coast Bus company. He was wailing in pain and made some statements about election results,” Issa Mohammed, a firefighting officer said.

Gituhu’s uncle Samson Gituhu noted that his nephew had been missing for about three days before the untimely incident that led to the loss of his life.

The uncle further revealed that his nephew had been diagnosed with mental illness, a problem he developed while studying.

Before his death, the deceased allegedly complained regularly about the lack of employment since he graduated.

“He was also frustrated by the lack of employment after he studied hard and graduated. He used to regularly complain about the lack of a job. He was a learned young man who graduated in 2021. He loved his books so much and studied a lot. It is sad that it had to end this way,” the uncle said.