Family seeks justice after MKU student found murdered in Thika

A family from Machakos is demanding justice for their daughter who was reportedly murdered in cold blood by unknown individuals.

Faith Musembi, 19, a student at Mount Kenya University (MKU), is suspected to have been killed on Wednesday night.

Her lifeless body was discovered by her father in her rented room at Pilot Estate within Hospital Ward in Thika.

Her distraught father, Boniface Musembi, told journalists on Friday that they received a call on Wednesday from an unknown individual demanding a ransom of Ksh.20,000 for the release of their daughter. The caller was using the deceased’s phone.

Musembi said that his wife hurriedly sent the money for the sake of their daughter’s life, while he left for Thika to pursue the matter.

He went and reported the matter at Thika Police Station, but said that the officers allegedly downplayed the matter and dismissed it as a trick-game by the deceased, her friends or her boyfriend.

Dissatisfied with services and response at the police station, Musembi went to MKU to seek help in finding the daughter. It was already past mid-night by then, hence he spent the night at the university.

On Thursday morning, Musembi went to the house where his daughter was residing but found it locked with a padlock. He called out her name severally but there was no response.

He enquired on whereabouts from a vegetable vendor outside the house who told him that she had sold the deceased vegetables the previous day.

Musembi said that he decided to go back to the Thika DCI office where he reported the matter, but said the officers he spoke to – again - downplayed the ordeal as a trick usually done by students whenever they want to siphon some money from their parents or relatives.

Determined to unearth the whereabouts of his daughter, Musembi went back to her residence and broke into the house. To his shock, he found her lying dead inside.

Musembi now blames police officers for laxity saying if they had acted swiftly, they would have saved his daughter from her killers. He noted that her phone that was being used by her suspected killers has still not been switched off.

Joseph Kinaka, the deceased’s uncle, said he texted her phone number on WhatsApp on Thursday morning and received a response demanding a ransom of Ksh.33,000, failure to which she be killed.

Kithaka noted that after engaging the individual who was in possession of the phone, they sent him Faith’s photo. However, on examining the photo closely, he saw blood oozing from her nose, and that she had bit her tongue.

He said he confronted the individual who later admitted to have already killed the girl. The phone, when tracked, was found to be operating from Nairobi town.

An autopsy conducted at the Thika General Kago Funeral Home, where the girl’s body is lying, indicated that she succumbed due to excessive bleeding.

The report indicated that she had bleeding in the uterus caused by abruptio placenta (the placenta had detached itself leading to excessive bleeding).

Dominic Makau, a cousin to the deceased, said Faith was a hardworking, joyous and disciplined girl.

The family members are now calling for speedy investigations into the murder and the arrest of all culprits for the sake of their daughter’s justice.