Cynthia Akinyi, the woman who was found dead inside her apartment at Mdomondoni kwa Chief in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, had been warned against her relationship with her abusive German lover, her family said yesterday.
Her mother Zainab Adhiambo and her sisters said they tried in vain to save her from the relationship before it ended tragically.
Her body was found wrapped with a bedsheet and stashed under a bed in their house on Thursday last week.
In an interview with the Nation, Ms Adhiambo said she fought hard to end her daughter’s love affair with Mr Krabbe Dieter.
“When she called me complaining that she had been assaulted, I told her to break up with him and focus on her life. I reminded her that her life was more important than the toxic love affair she was having with the white man,” the mother said.
Daughter’s death
But the warning appeared to have fallen on deaf ears, said Ms Adhiambo. The mother of six said her warnings were only met with silence from Ms Akinyi, 24, who said she feared her boyfriend would dump her.
“I personally talked to Mr Dieter, he sounded very rude. He abused me. My daughter later lied to me that she had ended the relationship. The news of her death a month later has shocked me,” she said.
Her daughter’s death, she said, has robbed her of a breadwinner who was a key pillar in the family.
“She was the one supporting me financially. She used to pay school fees for her younger sister and her seven-year-old son,” Ms Adhiambo said. Ms Akinyi’s elder sister, Ms Maryann Atieno, described her as a humble woman and a philanthropist who would help when asked.
“She sent me some money on the night she was killed. We talked briefly but she did not tell that there was anything wrong,” she said.
Ms Atieno said she had also warned her sister about her relationship with Mr Dieter after she called repeatedly complaining about him.
Abusive boyfriend
She said her sister stopped complaining about the abusive and violent boyfriend when she was advised to end the relationship.
“We advised her but she refused to listen, there is nothing we could do. You can advise someone but the final decision belongs to them,” she said.
The family claimed Mr Dieter stole Sh40,000 from Ms Akinyi’s M-Pesa account before leaving the house. Whenever the couple fought, the family said, Mr Dieter would pick up household items and leave.
The family is seeking financial help to transport Ms Akinyi’s body to Rarieda, Siaya County, for burial. They insist she must be buried at her ancestral home.
By Wednesday, the family had not received a permit to hold a fundraiser for funeral expenses, with police citing Covid-19 restrictions. BY DAILY NATION