The recent murder of Seth Nyakio, daughter of Kirinyaga politician Lucy Njeri, in Thika has drawn attention to the alarming trend of killings targeting young university students across the country.
The 23-year-old recent tertiary college graduate was found dead in a rented room in Thika’s Biafra area, two days after leaving home to visit a friend. Her death, which showed evidence of both struggle and sexual assault, is part of a disturbing pattern of attacks targeting young students, particularly females. Thika West sub-County police commander Laurence Muchangi has confirmed that investigations are underway, with authorities taking statements from the friend who discovered Nyakio’s body and pursuing a male suspect.
The incident has intensified fears among both students and parents about campus safety, especially as it follows closely on the heels of another tragic discovery of a woman’s body found abandoned in a maize plantation in Nakuru’s Kiamunyi Estate. The victim was identified as Vivian Kajaya, a third-year Social Work student At Mount Kenya University. Investigators confirmed she had been murdered and sexually assaulted. Also recently, Eileen Cherotich, 22, from the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology lost her life near the Nakuru-Eldoret highway in July.
A post-mortem revealed she suffered fatal head trauma after reportedly being ejected from a moving vehicle following an altercation with her boyfriend. In September, University of Nairobi student Mercy Kwamboka, 20, disappeared after stepping out to take a phone call. Her body was later found in a thicket, bearing signs of torture including broken legs, facial injuries, and acid burns on her hands. That same month, Daystar University student Mercy Cherono, 18, died under mysterious circumstances just days after beginning her nursing studies.
A particularly horrific case involved Rita Waeni, a 20-year-old JKUAT student, whose dismembered remains were discovered in Nairobi’s Roysambu area in January. Chief Pathologist Johansen Oduor confirmed she had been strangled before being decapitated. Though two suspects were initially arrested, they were later released due to insufficient evidence. The violence continued into October when Pwani University first-year literature student Faith Adongo was fatally stabbed while returning home from a freshman event.
Criminologist Stephen Amimo has identified universities as increasingly vulnerable spaces where students face heightened risk of criminal activity. He notes that female students are particularly susceptible to crimes of passion, whether perpetrated by fellow students or outsiders. Amimo also points out that the experimental nature of campus life can sometimes lead students to engage in criminal behaviour.
