The family of Mercy Kwamboka, the University of Nairobi student whose body was discovered in a thicket in Mwiki, is haunted by the mystery of a midnight call that lured their daughter into the dark.
That call, the last echo of her voice, led her away —and she was never seen alive again.
But beyond the confusion of who called her that fateful night, they are shattered by the brutality with which her life was taken. Why did she have to suffer so cruelly? Why did the light in their daughter have to be extinguished in such a violent manner?
The 20-year-old Kwamboka, who will be laid to rest this Friday, October 11, 2024, in her hometown of Ikonge, stepped out of her family’s home in Pipeline Nairobi on the night of Friday, September 27. The phone rang, she answered, and without knowing it, she walked into the shadows. Into her final moments.
"She was with her mum when she got the call and excused herself from the house," her father, Mr Jasper Nyandieka, narrated in a voice heavy with grief. "It was around midnight."
And by morning, their world was shattered.
Saturday came with the unbearable news. A call from detectives, asking the family to identify her at the City Mortuary.
"We found them at City Mortuary," Mr Nyandieka said quietly, his voice hollow.
Kwamboka, their first-born daughter, had dreams of becoming a chemist. She studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at the University of Nairobi (UoN). But after completing her first year, something changed. She deferred her studies. And now, her dreams —like her life— have been forever deferred.
"After completing her first year in the 2021/2022 academic year, she deferred her studies, although the records in the department do not give any reasons for the deferment," John Orindi, the director of corporate affairs at UoN, told Nation.Africa .
Her name remains in the university records, suspended in time. “Deferred”.
“Therefore, she was not on session as a current student in the current academic session. The department acknowledged that it had received news of her death on September 28, 2024,” Mr. Orindi explained.
The circumstances surrounding Mercy's tragic death remain unknown. They are a puzzle —one that the police are still trying to piece together.
"However, the circumstances surrounding her demise are still the subject of police investigations and we hope they will be known soon," Mr Orindi added.
The Kasarani head of DCI Justus Ombati said the police are hoping to uncover the full truth behind Mercy's death.
“I can confirm that the investigations are ongoing,” Mr Ombati said.
