Residents of Kiamunyi area of Rongai Constituency in Nakuru County were plunged into shock after the discovery of a body belonging to a student of the Mount Kenya University on Monday, October 14.
The student, whose remains were found in a maize plantation by the roadside, was identified using her national ID and student card.
Confirming the incident, Senior Chief Wilson Maraga divulged that the body was found in the Mercy Njeri Sub-location, but the deceased is suspected to be from a different location.
A passer-by first spotted the body as he was walking before alerting nearby farmers, who in turn contacted authorities. Police have since cordoned off the area, which is now being treated as the scene of a crime.
Local residents suspect foul play since residents of the Kiamunyi area affirmed there were hardly any homicide incidents in the area. Also, how the body was dumped in the bush suggested the student may have been killed elsewhere.
"This is a rare occurrence as our area is generally peaceful and free from major security issues," Chief Wilson Maraga observed.
With investigations into the death of the student set to kick off, pieces of evidence at the scene paint a picture of what might have happened to her. A bus fare receipt was found with the body, suggesting the student could have been in transit.
The latest incident was one of many in what has been a worrying trend of students going missing only to be found in strange places or worse.
A similar incident on September 10 saw a student's body retrieved from River Narok, 10 kilometres from the Maasai Mara University. The student had been missing for more than a week and is believed to have drowned in the river.
In a separate incident, a Kenyatta University student went missing after attending a party on the night of September 28. He went missing after his father reportedly sent him Ksh 15,000 meant to purchase a laptop.
Incidentally, another Mount Kenya University student went missing in September, only to be found days later in hospital.
Lillian Gati, a third-year student pursuing nursing at MKU-Thika, left her father worried after her phone went off hours after boarding a bus from her home in Migori to Nairobi. After days of uncertainty, the 20-year-old was brought to hospital by well-wishers.
