UoN student found murdered, hands doused with acid in Mwiki

Mercy Kwamboka, a student at the University of Nairobi (UoN) Chiromo Campus, was found dead, her body dumped in a thicket in Kasarani's Mwiki area, Nairobi.

According to the family, Kwamboka disappeared from her Pipeline home on September 27, 2024, after receiving a phone call at 11pm.

She was found dead the following day in mysterious circumstances.

Ms Stella Kerubo, Kwamboka's mother, described the severe mutilation of her daughter's body, including acid being poured on her hands.

“They tortured her a lot because her leg was broken like sugar cane and her hands were poured with acid. She was also dragged for a certain distance,” Ms Kerubo said.

The body of the 20-year-old student who was pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry was found half-naked in a thicket in Mwiki, police and locals said.

The body was discovered in the area around 4pm on September 28.

She was in her second year. A motive for the murder has not yet been established, police said.

A blanket was found beside her body. The family told police the blanket was not hers.

A post-mortem report said she had broken legs, bruises on her gums and burnt hands.

Toxicology tests are being carried out to shed more light on the death.

The woman is believed to have been lured from her home in the Pipeline area and later either kidnapped or poisoned before being brutally murdered.

Police said they were investigating murder, rape, kidnapping and robbery in the case. The family told police she had epilepsy.

The parents were questioned by police in connection with the murder.

They told police that she had left the house in a rage on September 27, 2024.

It has now emerged that Kwamboka's abductors intended to kill her, as her phone and money were found where her body was found.

According to witnesses, her body had been severely tortured, with one leg broken and her hands doused in acid.

She had disappeared after leaving her home in Pipeline following a late-night phone call and was later found without her pair of trousers with her phone and a Sh1000-note nearby.

The brutal nature of her death has raised questions as evidence suggests her abductors intended to kill her before disposing of her body, police said.

Witnesses described seeing a car at the scene. Investigations are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding her murder, said Kasarani DCI Justus Ombati.

"We have spoken to several persons of interest in the case. We will get to the bottom of the murder," Mr Ombati said.

He said no arrests had been made and the motive is yet to be established.