Leaders, friends and a family in Kapsait village, Marakwet West sub-county have asked the Police to hasten investigations into the murder of a first year student who was stabbed to death barely four days after admission to Daystar University Athi River campus to study Nursing.
Speaking during the burial of the slain student, Mercy Jerono, family Spokesperson William Kanda said that the death had dealt them a heavy blow given the high expectations they had in their daughter.
A postmortem report seen by Education News showed that the late Jerono succumbed to a 13-centimetre-deep knife wound to the heart.
Recounting the last moments of the 18-year-old student, Kanda said Jerono called her mother informing her that she was heading home for the weekend snubbing a Fresher’s Party for new students at the institution.
Kanda said that she later called again cancelling the visit home only for her mother to be called the following day by the institution to be informed that their daughter was admitted in hospital and was in critical condition.
He said that the family stumbled on rude shock when they found Jerono’s body lying in Shalom Hospital Mortuary in Kitengela, throwing them into confusion over what exactly happened to her.
The family demanded justice, calling out the varsity to share sufficient information regarding the incident.
“We were tossed from the University to the hospital. No one wanted to speak to us. Later we were told that she died. We demand CCTV footage to assist in tracing her last movements,” Kanda lamented.
Marakwet West MP Timothy Toroitich asked the Police to expedite investigations into the murder saying that the community had lost a brilliant young girl whose future was nipped in the bud.
“It is disheartening to lose such a brilliant young soul. We want to be told who killed her and why. Her killers must be brought to book. We demand answers and will not rest until we know the truth,” he remarked.
Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wesley Rotich echoed the sentiments and appealed to the Ministry of Education to issue security guidelines for both private and public learning institutions to ensure the safety of students and avert such incidences.
On their part, Daystar University through Prof. Micheal Bowen said that they are working with officers from the DCI Homicide Unit to unravel the mysterious death assuring that it was determined to get justice for the deceased’s family.
“We share our sympathies with the family. I assure you that we will do our best to ensure that this family gets justice,” said Bowen.
By Philemon Kiprop
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