A single mother is living a wretched life in Athi River after her lastborn daughter went missing from her rented house in Machakos county four months ago.
Anne Ndung'u, 39, joins hundreds of Kenyan families who are searching for their lost relatives even as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to aggravate the misery across the globe.
Ndung'u, who sewed clothes for a living, is also struggling to make ends meet after she was sacked by her employer months ago. She has two children.
Ndung'u says she has almost lost hope in the search for her 17-year-old daughter.
Magdalene Muthoni, a Form 2 student at Kalama Secondary School in Machakos disappeared from their Embakasi Estate on March 30. The matter was reported at Athi River police station under OB No: 30/10/07/2020 at 10.30am.
Ndung’u said her efforts to get assistance from the police were unsuccessful despite sharing three phone numbers which her child occasionally contacted.
“I have looked for her in vain, including calling relatives to find out if they have seen her,” Ndung’u said. She spoke to the Star in Athi River on Wednesday.
All the three lines were off when the Star tried calling them.
Ndung’u said two months ago when she called her daughter for the first time on her personal number, a male person answered the phone but never spoke, he passed the phone to daughter instead.
“The man received the call but passed it to my daughter who said she was well in Kibera. I didn’t trust that since she later said she was at Mukuru kwa Njenga in Nairobi. I request police to track her communications,” she said.
Ndung’u expressed worry after the bodies of two missing children were discovered from the same police station where she had reported the matter barely three weeks after they disappeared.
There was, however, jubilation in Embakasi police station in Nairobi after a man who had been reported missing was found alive.
Kelvin Muema James, 23, was reported missing from their residence in Baraka Estate, Embakasi, on July 2. The matter was reported by his sister Irene Mutindi James on July 3 under OB No. 98/03/07/20.
Embakasi subcounty police boss Francis Ngugi said they traced Muema to his rural home in Matuu, Machakos on July 13.
“The sister has already withdrawn the report from the station,” Ngugi told the Star at his office on Wednesday.
Ngugi encouraged the public not to shy away from reporting such incidences to the police.
“Recording statements eases police investigations and allows us pursue the case. This will help in speedy investigations and recoveries, it is important to report to help each other.”
He said the public should adopt community policing to promote a good relationship between the public and police.
There are also two cases of missing persons at Kasarani police station.
They are 13-year-old Luis Muteti and adult Jane Wangare.
DCI detectives from the police division have launched investigations into the duo’s whereabouts.
Edited by R.Wamochie
