Franklin Ondwari, a man who went missing during anti-government protests in Nairobi County on July 17, 2024, was found dead in a toilet a day after the Nation published a story highlighting his family's plight.
The body of the University of Nairobi student, who will be buried on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, was found hanging in an abandoned toilet in Ngumo Estate.
On the day he went missing, Mr Ondwari told his family members that he had been arrested and was being held at Nairobi Central Police Station.
Ms Dyline Sabina, the deceased's mother, said in an earlier interview with the Nation that when she was informed that her son had been arrested, she called him but the phone was answered by someone who identified himself as a police officer.
She said that the person who identified himself as an officer informed them that “mahabusu hawaruhusiwi kuwa na simu (inmates are not allowed to use phones.”
The Nation is in possession of photographs taken at the site where his body was found. The pictures show his body standing in a disused, clogged toilet.
Ms Sabina had informed the Nation that when she called her son and an officer responded, one of his friends reached out to the family and informed them that the police were demanding Sh3,000 to free Frankline.
Ms Edith Nyangarisa, Mr Ondwari's sister, said she spoke to her brother on the day he disappeared and he even informed her that he was about to be released from the station.
"We spoke and he informed me that he had already secured his freedom and would call me when he got home," she told the Nation .
Mr Emmanuel Inyiega, a close friend of the deceased, told the Nation that after securing his freedom, Mr Ondwari went to a friend's shop on Kirinyaga Road where he left his phone to charge.
“I went to the police station and was informed that he had been released,” said Mr Emmanuel Inyiega.
For two weeks, the family of the deceased searched in vain at various places, including the police station, morgues in the city and various hospitals.
The Nation understands that the matter was reported at Kasarani Police Station and recorded under Occurrence Book (OB) number 127/20/7/24.
Mr Ondwari was last with his mother in their home in Keumbu Kisii County in December 2023 during the festive season.
The family of Purity Njeri, who also disappeared, are still wondering if she has been found.
Purity Njeri Gitau was last seen on July 11, 2024 at Thika Technical Institute, when her mother visited her.
Photo credit: Pool
Ms Njeri's mother, Ruth Nduta, who lives in Gatanga sub-County in Murang'a County, told the Nation on Monday that they had been informed by a senior officer that she had been found.
“We were told she had been found and was fine, but it's been five days and we haven't seen her," said Mrs Nduta.
Ms Njeri went missing on July 11, 2024 when her mother visited Thika Technical Institute where she was studying.
Hours later, her mother tried to call her, but she hung up the phone and was never heard from again.
Her father, Stephen Gitau, told the Nation that his daughter went missing on the day her mother visited her at school.
Protests were reported in various parts of the country on the day of her disappearance, and it remains unclear whether they affected her.
Ms Shelmith Nyawira Njiru who went missing on July 17, 2027. She has been found in Uganda.
Photo credit: Pool
Meanwhile, Ms Shelmith Nyawira Njiru, who went missing on July 17, 2024, has been found in Uganda in an incident the family say they are reluctant to reveal much about.
However, a family source said that on the fateful evening, Ms Nyawira was preparing to go to work when she was approached by two men who allegedly abducted her.
The family revealed that her phone signal was last detected in Malaba, Busia County, where money was withdrawn from her phone.
"The people who abducted her wore face masks and were also armed. It is because of the sensitivity of the matter that the family does not want to speak publicly about it," our source said.
The source said that once in Uganda, the two men threw her out of the car they were in and warned her never to set foot in Kenya again.
Fortunately, Ms Nyawira saw a Catholic church where she was abandoned and went there to share her plight and was referred to a police station in Uganda.
