Boyfriend and a mysterious suitcase: The final hours of murdered MMU student Sylvia Kemunto

The body of missing Multimedia University (MMU) student Sylvia Kemunto was recovered on Wednesday night in a water tank at the rooftop of a hostel within the institution’s compound.

Kemunto, a Mass Communications and Computer Science major, disappeared under mysterious circumstances on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

Her mother, Triza Kwamboka, who lives in Kawangware, had sent her upkeep money through a church elder's phone. When she tried to confirm whether her daughter had received the funds, her calls went unanswered.

Growing concerned, Kemunto's mother traveled to the university, only to discover that her daughter was missing.

The school management confirmed her absence, prompting the mother to file a report at Langata Police Station, where an Occurrence Book (OB) entry was made.

“She had told me about a young man who was making advances at her. She said she did not like him and I told her to stand firm,” said Kwamboka.

On the day of her disappearance, Kemunto's roommate had gone to church, leaving her alone in their Block B room, number 90.

Investigations reveal that Kemunto's boyfriend, Philip Eric Mutinda, a first-year Electrical Engineering student, visited her room around 1pm that day.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that Mutinda was seen struggling with a suitcase, allegedly belonging to Kemunto, as he moved it from her room on the third floor to his own residence in Block E, room number 301.

Later that night, Mutinda's roommate reportedly noticed the suitcase in their room, but it was missing the following morning.

“I came in the evening and found the guy with the suitcase. He was trying to lie on it like it was a pillow, but it seemed uncomfortable, so he placed it beside the desk. The next morning, I woke up around 8 and noticed that both the guy and the suitcase were gone,” the witness said.

Police investigations began immediately, tracing Kemunto's phone records. The signal placed her within the university compound, but her phone was switched off at approximately 10pm on the day she disappeared. This prompted the school management to initiate a search on campus.

“It is clear that on that day Sunday when the girl was reported missing, the boy entered her room. The police are trying to locate the boy,” said MMU Ag. Vice Chancellor Prof. Geoffrey Kihara.

On Wednesday, a foul smell emanating from Block E caught the attention of the search team. By afternoon, the source of the odor was identified—a water tank on the rooftop of one of the hostels.

Inside, Kemunto’s decomposing body was discovered, three days after her disappearance.

The retrieval process took nearly two hours, as investigators noted that the tank had been sealed with wire and weighed down with a heavy stone, seemingly to mask the smell.

Sylvia's body has since been transported to the City Mortuary, for a postmortem examination.

“We want the truth, especially from the school. How could he kill her and move her body undetected?” Kemunto’s uncle, Clinton Nyamare, posed.

 “As an institution where are we heading? What is the guarantee and safety of our girls around men? Those are the questions we are asking,” said MMU Secretary General Okari Okengo.