At about 11am on January 4, 2025, 17-year-old Phedona Awuor left her parents’ modest home in Chamakowa village, Homa Bay County, to take dry maize for grinding at a posho mill in Kirindo, about five kilometres away.
Carrying a bucket of maize, she was expected to return shortly with flour for the family’s afternoon meal. Her mother, Mary Ochieng, said she anticipated her daughter’s return within 45 minutes.
“We only grew worried when more than two hours passed and no food had been cooked,” Ms Ochieng said.
When concern mounted, one of Phedona’s siblings went out to look for her. The family was alarmed to learn that she had not reached the market. Along a footpath inside a nearby thicket, they found maize scattered on the ground.
“We also found one of her sandals. That was enough proof that she did not reach the market,” Ms Ochieng said.
Mary Ochieng displays old photos of her daughter, Phedona Awuor, who was murdered on Sunday as she was walking to the market in Kirindo, Homa Bay County.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
For a moment, she thought her daughter might have diverted to visit friends and abandoned the maize. But repeated phone calls and text messages went unanswered.
The search continued late into the night. At about 11pm, the family discovered the pupil’s body lying inside a large thicket, a short distance from their home.
Phedona had taken a narrow footpath commonly used by residents as a shortcut to Kirindo market. The passage takes about five minutes to cross, though residents say they often encounter wild animals there. Ms Ochieng said the dense vegetation could also provide cover for criminals.
Her daughter had left home wearing a T-shirt, which was found pulled up from the back, exposing her belly. Phedona’s death has raised troubling questions for investigators about how and why she was killed.
The case echoes a similar incident in September 2025, when another female pupil died while walking home from school. In both cases, the girls are believed to have been sexually assaulted before being murdered.
Mbita Police Station in Homa Bay County on January 7, 2025.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Mbita have enlisted the Homicide Unit to help establish the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Mbita Deputy County Commissioner Peter Mutiso said Phedona had sat her Kenya Junior School Education Assessment last year and was due to proceed to Grade 10. He condemned the killing, noting similarities with other recent cases, including two incidents in Rusinga involving female victims.
Police have appealed to the public to cooperate with investigators. Mbita Sub-county Police Commander Nathan Sanya assured residents that those responsible would be brought to justice. Phedona’s body was taken to Mbita Sub-county Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.
Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo and Kasgunga ward representative Nura Odongo also condemned the killing and called for swift, thorough investigations, warning that failure to act would only embolden criminals.
