Machakos University student's gruesome murder shatters Kisii family's hopes
Florence Kemunto Nyaboga, the mother of the late Harriet Moraa Nyaboga, at the family home in South Mugirango, Kisii County.
What you need to know:
- Harriet’s death has been particularly difficult for her mother, Florence Kemunto Nyaboga, who is a widow.
- The family learnt of Harriet's death on Tuesday morning after an uncle received a phone call with the chilling news.
The brutal killing of a first-year Machakos University student has shattered the hopes and dreams of a Kisii family.
On January 9, Harriet Moraa Nyaboga was found murdered in Machakos, barely three days after witnessing the burial of her grandfather and bidding bye to her loved ones at home.
Harriet’s death has been particularly difficult for her mother, Florence Kemunto Nyaboga, who is a widow.
"My husband died in 2002 and left me with three children, Harriet being the firstborn. She was about three years old then. I have since been earning a living by doing menial jobs. I have done domestic work in people's houses and tilled people's farms for meagre pay, just to educate my children. Now Harriet has been killed!" the distraught mother said.
Ms Kemunto said with her daughter’s death, all her hopes of better future have been quashed.
"I had banked all my hopes on her. Her light was just beginning to shine but it has now been extinguished!" she said.
The family said Harriet left home on Saturday morning for Machakos and later informed them that she had arrived safely.
On that day, a jovial Harriet wanted to know about her younger sister’s performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.
Florence Kemunto Nyaboga, the mother of the late Harriet Moraa Nyaboga, at the family home in South Mugirango, Kisii County.
"She died without knowing what I scored because I had not received my results when we last spoke,” the sister said.
"Harriet was my look-alike and many people mistook us for twins. When Harriet left home she was hopeful that I would soon join her at Machakos University. But now she is gone. Where is my twin sister?" the grieving sister lamented.
The family learnt of Harriet's death on Tuesday morning after an uncle, Simeon Obuti, received a phone call with the chilling news. But Ms Kemunto was only informed of her daughter’s death four days later.
"When I received the news I was too shaken to relay the same to the mother. I knew how deeply she loved her daughter," said Mr Obuti.
The family is now seeking to know who is responsible for their daughter’s death.
When journalists interviewed the family on Sunday, Ms Kemunto was yet to travel to Machakos to view her daughter’s body.
"I have been left with nothing to sell in this homestead. I have no bus fare to travel to Machakos and I don’t know how my daughter’s remains will be ferried home for burial," the mother said.
Ms Kemunto appealed for help from Kisii County leaders in her quest for justice.
"I am a poor widow, don't leave me alone in this,” she pleaded.
Harriet was cherished and loved by her siblings. She was very close to her younger brother who joined Form Four this year.
"On Saturday, when she left home, I escorted her to the vehicle she boarded. She promised to send me some back-to-school pocket money. I never knew I was escorting my sister to her painful death,” the brother said.
Police in Machakos have since arrested a student, who is believed was Harriet's boyfriend.
According to the police, Harriet went to visit the suspect in Katoloni in Machakos, only to be discovered dead.
