Last Friday, December 19, 2025, Rachel Adhiambo travelled to Nakuru to attend the graduation of a colleague’s daughter at Kabarak University before joining her family for Christmas in Got Agulu, Siaya County.
Throughout the trip, she remained in regular contact with her elder sister, Maureen Atieno, sharing photographs and updates on her whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Ms Atieno and her two children had already started their journey from Vihiga to Got Agulu.
Maureen Syamba, sister to the late Raychelle Syamba Adhiambo, speaks to the Nation at their home in Got Agulu, Osieko, on December 22, 2025. Maureen had been in communication with her sister regarding where to pick her up until she could no longer trace her at the agreed-upon pick-up point.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
“I had been staying at my sister’s place for about two months during my vacation. We were supposed to travel together for the festive season, but she attended the graduation first. She seemed content and at ease, constantly asking whether we had arrived safely with the children,” Ms Atieno recalled.
After the ceremony, Ms Adhiambo secured a lift in a private car from Nakuru to Kisumu, keeping her family informed throughout. She arrived in Kisumu around 10pm. Despite the late hour, she chose to continue to Bondo Town, determined to reach home the same night.
Rachel Adhiambo Syamba, whose body was found in Magawa, Siaya County on December 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Her family arranged to pick her up near Equity Bank, a well-lit area, before she would take a taxi to Usenge Market, about 25 kilometres away, where she would be collected.
At around 11 pm, Ms Adhiambo called her sister to confirm she had reached Bondo but could not find transport onward. Moments later, she informed her that she had decided to hire a boda boda operator as it was getting late.
“I warned her against taking a motorbike. We were already on our way,” Ms Atieno said.
Shortly afterwards, Ms Adhiambo confirmed she was on the motorcycle, reassured by the rider’s promise to deliver her safely.
Initially, she reported being in Usenge, just six kilometres from home, but later claimed she was in Nyamonye—about 10 kilometres away in a different direction.
“The locations did not make sense. That’s when the worry truly set in,” Ms Atieno said.
Arthur Syamba, father to the late Rachel Adhiambo, speaks to Nation at his home in Got Agulu, Osieko, on December 22, 2025.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Phone communication soon deteriorated, with calls delayed or dropping entirely. According to her father, Arthur Syamba, the last contact was around 11pm when she reached Bondo but struggled to find transport.
“She was eager to get home. Everyone else had arrived, and she did not want to miss out,” Mr Syamba said.
Heavy rain compounded the situation. When Ms Atieno called to confirm her sister’s location, the boda boda rider claimed they had run out of fuel near Nyamonye and there was no petrol station nearby. He mentioned Bar Kanyango junction, a poorly lit area with difficult terrain.
Increasingly alarmed, Ms Atieno drove out to search for her sister despite worsening weather. She reached Usenge Market but found no sign of her. Repeated calls connected briefly, with faint voices and background noises, before going dead.
“She sounded faint, the line distorted, and I heard someone say, ‘Let’s push the motorbike,’ then silence,” Ms Atieno recounted.
She continued searching through Nyamonye, checking side roads and footpaths, and even enlisted another boda boda rider to help locate petrol stations, but there was no trace. By 1am, rain and poor visibility forced her to return home, her fuel running low.
“At that moment, I knew something terrible had happened. This behaviour was unlike my sister,” Ms Atieno said.
By dawn, Ms Adhiambo’s phone remained unreachable. Family members retraced her last known movements and sought information from friends.
Family members at the scene where Rachel Adhiambo was murdered in Magawa, West Sakwa area near Maranda, on December 22, 2025.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
On Saturday morning, passers-by discovered a woman’s body in Magawa, Sakwa, roughly 200 metres from the Bondo–Usenge road, and alerted authorities.
Rushing to Bondo, the family found no hospital record matching her description. Her fiancé, Peter Adulo, identified her at the morgue.
Ms Adhiambo, described by those who knew her as careful and responsible, was pursuing a Bachelor of Laws degree from Busoga University and worked as a clerk with the Public Accounts Committee in Vihiga County. She was the only family member yet to arrive for Christmas.
“She was familiar with these roads. She simply wanted to come home,” her father said.
The scene where the body of the late Rachel Adhiambo was found on the morning of December 20, 2025, in Magawa, West Sakwa area near Maranda.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Bondo Sub-county Police Commander Robert Aboki confirmed investigations are ongoing. “We received a report from the local assistant chief about a middle-aged woman found murdered near Magawa Primary School along the Bondo–Usenge highway. Officers immediately responded,” he said.
He added that the boda boda rider is the prime suspect and that efforts are underway to trace her mobile phone.
“The body was taken to Bondo mortuary and later identified by the family. A post-mortem will establish the exact cause of death,” Mr Aboki said.
