Man in suicide attempt after wife denies him conjugal rights

by Joseph Muchiri

A middle-aged man jumped from the second floor of a residential apartment in an attempt to end his life when his wife refused to have unprotected sex with him.

The incident, which took place two weeks ago in a city estate, left the man hospitalised with broken limbs and his four-year marriage on the rocks.

James Odhiambo, a casual worker at a bread factory, is still admitted in a city hospital where well-wishers rushed him unconscious. His attempted suicide followed a heated quarrel with his wife after she declined to have sex with him without a condom.

"I could no longer trust him when he began spending nights out without a good reason," says his wife.

Marital bed

She adds, "I insisted that we use condoms, but he took this as an insult and said he would never wear one in his marital bed."

Odhiambo, who vowed never to eat a sweet with its wrapping, accused his wife of being untrustworthy and unfaithful. He claimed to have been spending nights in the factory whenever they were forced to work late. He accused his wife of having affairs with other men and that was why she was afraid of infecting him with a disease she could have picked in one of her escapades.

Their quarrels climaxed one evening when Odhiambo complained of going for even two weeks without making love to his legally wedded wife for whom he had paid dowry. Their quarrels degenerated into a fight, which apparently infuriated him and he jumped from the building determined to kill himself.

His wife erupted into terrified screams, which alerted neighbours who rushed to the man’s rescue. Odhiambo was taken to a private hospital to avoid raising eyebrows from police or being required to produce a P3 form.