A family is demanding an apology from Mediamax Network Limited-owned K24 after a story was published on the death of an 11-year-old child in Ikolomani, Kakamega County.
The Wednesday, April 29, report, which has since been pulled down from the K24 website, claimed that the young boy committed suicide after a fight with his younger sister over a TV remote control.
Leon Lidigu, an experienced journalist who happens to be a cousin of the deceased, however, called out the media house as he revealed that the 11-year-old did not even have a younger sister as was reported by K24.
With the media house having cited the father to the deceased as their source, Lidigu accused K24 of taking advantage of a grief-stricken parent under the guise of journalism.
He further maintained that there had been no fight over a television remote, accusing the media house of misrepresenting the facts.
"Dear K24 TV, my grieving uncle is in no state of mind to give any interview. You misrepresented facts, got his surname and the mortuary wrong.
"There was no fight over a TV remote control and in fact, my dead cousin did not have a sister. Disgusting!
"My family is going through a lot right now and you misrepresenting facts is very unfair and taking advantage of a grief-stricken father is very low and not journalism at all.
"You owe us a public apology profusely because these are lies," Lidigu wrote on Wednesday, April 29.
Contacted by Kenyans.co.ke on Thursday, April 30, Lidigu called for the family to be accorded their privacy as they mourned.
"My family has had enough. We wish to be left alone, kindly understand," he wrote.
The report had claimed that the Class Five pupil disagreed with his younger sister on which television program to watch, resulting in his frustrations. This supposedly led him to take his life.
Suicide among young children and teenagers is an issue across the globe and has been highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in various reports.
While depression is often a factor, other underlying issues including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be a factor in many suicide attempts.
Other factors that contribute to suicide attempts include bullying, both physical, verbal and online through social media platforms which trigger feelings of depression.
According to experts, parents, guardians and other individuals should seek to gently communicate with children, particularly talking to them if they suspect they may hurt themselves.
