'God is Good!' Ciku Muiruri rejoices after reuniting with kidnapped daughter, friend

Her daughter Erica Muiruri, 26, and her friend Shanice Agose, 27, were abducted on June 4 in Nairobi's Westlands area.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the duo had requested a ride to Kilimani area on the ridesharing Bolt app but were threatened by the driver upon commencing their trip and were taken to a different destination.

"But when the ride arrived along Rhapta road in Westlands and they got in, the driver threatened them using a hammer before speeding off towards Thika," DCI said.

On Sunday, June 13, the victims were rescued from a one-room house in Mangu and were reunited with their parents. They were later rushed to hospital for medical checkups. 

Ms Muiruri went on Facebook on Monday where she posted an appreciation post further intimating details on what ensued, citing her daughter's narration.

According to Muiruri, immediately after the girls entered the cab they were locked inside and discovered that another man was hiding inside the boot.

The women then tried to flee but were attacked by the two men with a hammer and even threatened with a knife, forcing them to comply.

"They were locked in the car (doors had child lock activated) and there was a second man hiding in the boot. Attempts to fight them led to Erica being hit on her head and lower leg with a hammer but she did not sustain serious injury," she wrote.

"Her friend had cuts on her hand from trying to pull a knife that had been held to her throat by the man in the back."

Muiruri added that the girls were then taken to Thika where they were detained under deplorable conditions.

"The place was dingy, hidden. The conditions were very cold. But they were fed daily. The kidnappers wanted 500k for both of them. They sent messages to both myself and her friend’s mom," she said.

Thanking her friends and followers who supported her and sent in their prayers, Muiruri said that she attended the Corpus Christi Novena celebrations on June 7, where she gained assurance that her daughter would return home safe and unharmed.

"All this drama happened during the Corpus Christi Novena and I did not think that it was a coincidence. Letting people know about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not something the evil one can be happy about. But God is Good!," she said.

She noted that on Sunday, June 11, she received a threatening message from the kidnapper that something grave will happen to the victims if the ransom money would not be sent, a threat she says she responded by advising the kidnapper to read the Bible. 

"I go home and messages come in from the kidnapper. He tells me they will do something terrible to Erica that night (and record the video for me to watch) if I don't send the money. I tell him that it is Corpus Christi Sunday and ask him to read Psalms 91," he said.

Muiruri said that she was relieved to receive a call from DCI detectives that the girls were found and immediately rushed to the scene.

She however cautioned citizens who opt to hail cabs, saying that the suspects told the girls that there are many alike gangs operating in the same pattern.

"Please note for your own protection that they told the girls that the Bolt App has many crooks from different gangs doing the exact same thing! He told them: “Stay away from Bolt especially after midnight,” she said.

Meanwhile, two suspects Timothy Kiragu Ng'ang'a (34) and Samuel Kipkurui (33) are in police custody.

Bolt has also spoken on the incident,  advising riders using their app to be cautious when requesting rides, as some individuals may impersonate drivers registered on their app to engage in crime.