A distressed family in Tuthu village, Kangema constituency, Murang’a County, is pleading with government agencies and well-wishers to help in tracing their 23-year-old missing university student.
The fourth-year marketing student went missing on April 13, and efforts to trace him have proved futile.
The Irungu family say that their son, Erick Joseph Irungu, at the time of his disappearance over three weeks ago, was just a few weeks shy of completing his bachelor’s degree.
“I last spoke to my son on Palm Sunday, and nothing sounded unusual, he noted that he was preparing for his final exams at the university,” narrates Joseph's mother, Joyce Wanjiku.
“Later on, we could not reach him on phone and we became alarmed and dispatched some family members to go try and trace his last steps but a visit to the school confirmed our worst fears; my son had failed to show up for his final examinations that Wednesday and had not been seen at the university” she says
Further compounding the mystery is that at the time of his disappearance, Joseph was staying outside the school compound, and it was on a weekend.
The family immediately filed a missing person’s report and embarked on a search to uncover any leads about his whereabouts.
“We have visited hospitals and morgues all over, but our search has borne no fruit. We are exasperated as a family, and we plead with anyone who may have leads to the whereabouts of our son to volunteer the information,” notes Onesmus Maina, the uncle
He observes that as a family, they have exhausted all personal resources and avenues in their quest for answers.
“We have reached our end and need professional assistance as we believe that our son is still alive and that he will one day be found,” he says, desperation palpable in his shaky voice
Echoing similar sentiments, Erick’s grandmother Rosalia Waithera has called on the government agencies and well-wishers to help the family find her grandson urgently.
She notes that his disappearance has brought insurmountable pain and despair to the family, and their lives are at a standstill as they cannot work or go about their daily activities.
“Our lives have temporarily stopped, I am advanced in age, and my grandson’s disappearance is already taking a toll on my health, she says.
“The boy is disciplined, peace-loving and obedient. We plead with anyone who may know where he is to assist us in bringing him home, I am convinced that he is still alive”
In the wake of Erick’s disappearance, his family members and members of the community gather at his rural home for daily prayers, united in hope for a miracle—a phone call that would bring relief and answers to their aching hearts.
“The family is going through a difficult moment, and as a community,y we can only join them, pray with them, as we encourage them to remain steadfast that the boy will be found alive,” says Kigumi Karuri, the family’s pastor
As the sun sets on the Tuthu, the Irungu family cling to hope that Erick will return home safely, their faith unwavering despite the uncertainty of his whereabouts.
