Phone of slain MMU Student Sylvia Kemunto found among church offerings, murder trial told

A church administrator has told the High Court in Kibera that a phone belonging to a murdered Multimedia University of Kenya (MMU) student surfaced. In contrast, church collections were being counted, according to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The ODPP said Erick Mutinda Philip is accused of murdering Sylvia Kemunto Ayaye on March 30, 2025, at Multimedia University of Kenya campus along Magadi Road in Lang’ata Sub-County, Nairobi County. His trial is ongoing.

The witness, who serves at Jesus Is Alive Ministries, testified that an Oppo handset was discovered among the offerings on April 2, 2025. She said the church kept the device safely until police arrived to look for it. Officers then explained that call data placed the phone of the deceased inside the church compound.

The head of the university’s security department also testified. According to the ODPP, he told the court the institution received a report that Sylvia was missing and worked alongside investigators to trace her. On April 2, 2025, a search team found a decomposing body inside a water tank on the roof of a university hostel. Police then took charge of the scene, and the body was identified as hers.

A fellow student who was Sylvia’s close friend and classmate described her efforts to reach her after she went missing. The witness also spoke about the relationship between Sylvia and the accused, which she called toxic. She alleged that he mistreated the deceased.

Moreover, she told the court that Sylvia had at one point considered moving to a hostel outside the university to avoid regular encounters with him. Her mother reportedly advised her to stay on campus until she completed her studies.

Another student, who shared a hostel room with the accused, explained how they were housed and how they dealt with university security staff during the period under investigation. A former roommate of the deceased also testified about what she knew of Sylvia and what she learnt after the body was found.