On Friday, September 25, a taxi driver named Victoria Mumbua Muloki, a mother of three, received a ride request through a taxi app in Mombasa.
The disappearance and subsequent recovery of Victoria Mumbua Muloki, a taxi driver in Mombasa, has brought attention to the safety concerns faced by drivers in Kenya. This was a routine she had followed for the past four years. The client initially requested transportation within Mombasa’s Central Business District, but it is believed he later asked to be taken to Samburu, Kwale County, approximately 66 kilometers away. Concern grew when Ms. Muloki’s last known communication, a call to a colleague confirming a drop-off in Samburu, was followed by her phone being switched off.
Her mother, Anne Kanini, was alerted the next day when fellow taxi drivers were unable to reach Ms. Muloki. A missing person report was filed at Makupa Police Station on Saturday. The investigation took a turn on Sunday when Edwin Ngetich Kipkemoi, a suspect in Ms. Muloki’s disappearance, was apprehended in Nakuru County. Mr. Kipkemoi was found driving Ms. Muloki’s vehicle, a white Nissan Serena, along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway. Despite interrogation, he did not disclose any information about Ms. Muloki’s whereabouts, leaving authorities to speculate on his intentions.
In a fortunate development, Ms. Muloki was discovered on September 30 in Uriri, Migori County. Local residents found her injured and unconscious in a bush and promptly alerted authorities. She was airlifted to Mombasa for medical treatment, where her condition has since stabilized. The circumstances surrounding her abduction and abandonment remain under investigation. The Kenya Taxi Drivers Association has called for enhanced security measures and stricter regulations to protect drivers from such occurrences. Social media platforms saw an outpouring of support for Ms. Muloki, with many Kenyans using the hashtag #FindVictoria to express solidarity and demand justice.
Ms. Muloki, who resides in Makupa with her children following a separation from her husband, had transitioned to taxi driving after leaving her previous job as a sales representative. Her mother expressed the family’s distress during the ordeal, pleading for her daughter’s safe return and requesting assistance from law enforcement.
