5 Kenyan University Girls Murdered Under Mysterious Circumstances in Recent Months

 

Femicide is not a new term in Kenyan households, as the country has witnessed a series of cases over the past year. Kenyan university female students who died under mysterious circumstances.  However, the cases went unheard of until the past few months, when news of female university students going missing and later found dead emerged. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes femicide as the intentional murder of women or girls. 

The rising cases shed light on the alarming reality of gender-based violence in the country as more women and girls continue to fall victim to brutal acts of violence University Students killed in recent months However, as affected families mourn their loved ones, they also hope authorities will help solve the cases and bring the culprits to justice. TUKO.co.ke has compiled some of the recent cases of university students who died under mysterious circumstances pointing to femicide. 

1. MKU student found dead at her house 

In May 2024, a 19-year-old Mount Kenya University (MKU) student was found lifeless at her rented apartment in Thika, Kiambu county. Faith Musembi was allegedly killed after her parents sent the KSh 27,000 ransom demanded by her tormentors. The parents reported the matter to the police, but the officers concluded that her tormentors were playing a prank on her family. Boniface Musembi would later make his way to his daughter's house only to find her lifeless body. 

 2. UoN girl found dead in Kasarani 

Early October 2024, a University of Nairobi (UoN) female student identified as Mercy Kwamboka was found dead in Kasarani estate, Nairobi. Kwamboka is said to have received a call at 11pm and left Pipeline Estate where she lived without telling anyone where she was headed. The mother said she was tortured, and her leg was broken. 

3. Body of MKU student found in Nakuru

 A 22-year-old female student from MKU was found dead in the Kiamunyi area of Nakuru county. According to reports, receipts in the young lady’s handbag indicated that travelled from Thika to Nakuru. Circumstances surrounding her death were not immediately known as investigations commenced. 

4. Zetech graduate found dead in Thika

 In a separate incident Seth Nyakio Njeri a graduate of Zetech University was found dead inside a rented house in Biafra, Thika. Njeri left their home in Kamakis to visit a friend over the weekend but went missing, prompting her mother, Lucy Njeri, to look for her. Preliminary reports suggest that she may have been killed y and estranged boyfriend. Moreover, her mysterious death came months after she was involved in a hit-and-run accident that almost killed her six months ago. 

5. Woman who went to visit boyfriend found dead in his shamba 

On October 10, a woman from Kirinyaga county, identified as Sarah Wangithi, was found dead in a thicket. The single mother of two was last seen alive on October 5, before she went to visit a man believed to be her boyfriend. However, she never returned. The said boyfriend reported the discovery of Sarah’s body at his home to the police, after which he was taken in for questioning. Expert opinion on the surge in femicide cases TUKO.co.ke talked to Cleopa Kinyua Njiru, a counselling psychologist who shed light on the probable causes of the current rise in femicide. 

Njiru highlighted factors such as public awareness through online platforms and media, mental illness, financial issues, and peer pressure as some of the reasons why girls within the age gap of 19 to 25 fall victim. “Online platforms have made information readily available in all corners of the world, and the spread is within a very short time. Metal illness may also be a cause because when people are unwell, their way of managing anger and emotions becomes compromised, he said.” The psychologist noted that some students may engage in unorthodox activities to make ends meet because of financial problems.

 “I think the financial constraints experienced in society also trickle down to students at the university. Some of them undergo difficult times financially, so they may be easily influenced to do things that are not right to survive,” he explained. He noted that female learners may succumb to peer pressure to fit in and live the kind of life they see online and from their fellows. To do this, they need money. “There is a tendency among young women to want to live within certain lifestyles they see on social media, and to achieve that, you need money, and in doing that, they may end up having 2 or 3 or 4 boyfriends, resulting in a love triangle saga,” stated Kinyua. 

Why men would consider violent reaction The counselling psychologist also shared his opinion on why men find themselves reacting violently to certain situations in relationships when provoked. Njiru said one reason for such cases is a lack of role models and people to look up to. According to him, these men are not well informed when it comes to relationships, and that, coupled with the demands put upon them on their relationships plus heartbreaks, breed trauma and feelings of revenge.  “With financial constraints, many young men and women may get involved in substance abuse as a way of coping because of the stresses they undergo and also as an easier way of making money through trafficking,” he said. 

by  Lynn-Linzer Kibebe