Gory Details of How Missing Multimedia University Student Was Killed, Body Stuffed in Suitcase, and Dumped in a Water Tank

In a chilling discovery, the decomposed body of a missing Multimedia University (MMU) student was pulled from a water tank on campus, unraveling a suspected murder that has left a community in shock.

Sylvia Kemunto, a first-year student pursuing Mass Communications and Computer Science, vanished on Sunday, March 30.

Her lifeless body was found two days later, on Wednesday, April 2, police and university officials confirmed.

The grim scene revealed a brutal end: she had been strangled and struck with a blunt object, her life snuffed out for reasons yet to be uncovered.

Police have zeroed in on her boyfriend as the prime suspect, a man now at the center of a desperate manhunt.

The nightmare began when Kemunto’s mother, Triza Kwamboka, a resident of Kawangware, couldn’t reach her daughter.

She had sent upkeep money through a church elder’s phone, but her calls to confirm its receipt went unanswered, swallowed by an eerie silence. Panic rising, Kwamboka made the journey to MMU, only to learn her daughter was nowhere to be found.

The university confirmed Kemunto’s absence, and a distraught Kwamboka rushed to Lang’ata Police Station to report her missing.

Through tears, she recounted to police how Kemunto had confided in her about a fellow student’s unwanted advances. “She said she didn’t like him, and I told her to stand firm,” Kwamboka said, her voice breaking as she wiped her cheeks.

Investigators now believe Kemunto was killed in her own room, her body later dragged to the rooftop of her hostel and dumped into a water tank.

The killers went to chilling lengths to conceal their crime, securing the tank with wire and placing a stone atop it to thwart detection.

Kemunto.

On the day she disappeared, Kemunto’s roommate recalled her leaving for church, leaving the room empty—until the boyfriend arrived around lunchtime.

Witnesses later saw him hauling a suitcase, one that belonged to Kemunto, from her room to his own in a separate block. The horrifying suspicion emerged: her body was likely folded inside.

That night, the suspect’s roommate noticed the suitcase in their shared space. “I saw him lie on it,” the witness said, puzzled by the strange behavior, “but I didn’t understand why.” By morning, both the suitcase and the suspect had vanished. “I woke up around 8, and they were gone,” the roommate added.

Kemunto’s disappearance sparked an urgent investigation.

Police traced her phone signal to within the university compound near Ongata Rongai, though it had been switched off. Nairobi police boss George Sedah said this clue kept the search focused on campus.

Then, on Wednesday, a putrid stench wafting from Block E drew the search team’s attention. By afternoon, they pinpointed the source—a water tank on the hostel rooftop.

Inside, they found Kemunto’s decomposing remains, a sight so haunting it silenced the bustling campus. Her body was soon moved to the mortuary, leaving behind a trail of grief and unanswered questions.

MMU’s acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Geoffrey Kihara, confirmed the suspect’s connection to the crime. “It’s clear that on that Sunday, when the girl was reported missing, the boy entered her room. The police are working to find him,” he said, his words heavy with the weight of the tragedy.

Students at MMU are reeling, their cries for justice echoing through the halls.

The Multimedia University Student Association (MUKSA) has called for calm among students as investigations continue.

In a statement, the MUKSA Secretary-General described the incident as a “wake-up call” to address gender-based violence and toxic masculinity.

“We must confront the reality of gender-based violence and create a culture that respects and protects our women,” the statement read in part.

The student leaders have also planned a prayer session and sensitization programs to raise awareness on safety and non-violence.