Athi River police are looking into the unsolved death of a first-year student at Daystar University, even as her bereaved parents are clamoring for details about the terrible tragedy.
Only four days after reporting for her studies, Mercy Cherono was discovered dead at a dormitory. On Wednesday, her father, Bowen Kanda, revealed that the loss of his daughter had rocked the entire family.
He also rejected the university’s justification for why she committed suicide in school. The father discussed his daughter’s final moments in an interview at the family’s residence in the Nyayo Embakasi estate.
Cherono called her mother that fateful night at around 6 p.m. to let her know she planned to go home since she didn’t want to attend a party planned for freshers.
Cherono’s mother informed her that she was free to return home.
Around 7 o’clock in the evening, she called her mother once more and explained that she still had not found a car to take her from school to town.
As a result, she made the decision to go back to school and would be at the first-years party. The mother and daughter chatted on the phone once again around 9.30 p.m.
Cherono claimed to be at the party and to be enjoying herself. She announced that her dinner will consist of chapati and soda. The family’s conversation with her ended with this.
Around two in the morning, Cherono’s mother received a call from the school administration asking her to drive her daughter to the Lukenya campus of the university.
She was summoned to the school in the middle of the night with no justification given. According to Bowen, the mother left right away. When she arrived in Mlolongo, she received a second phone from the school instructing her to travel to Shalom Hospital in Kitengela rather than report to the university.
The mother drove to the hospital in less than ten minutes, where she was greeted by a university official and medical professionals.
She was now left without the crucial explanation from the hospital administration or the in-person school administrator.
With her son by her side, a terrified mother waited patiently for answers but received none.
The family confronted the school official present in hospital who revealed to them that their daughter was in the hospital where she was confirmed dead after suffering a stab wound on her left side of the chest.
The mother left for home in pain and distress, and the next morning she showed up at the Athi-River DCI headquarters.
The family was escorted by four police officials who were tasked to look into the mysterious death.
Wednesday, Bowen said the family is yet to get a brief from the DCI on the death of their daughter.
“All I want is justice for my daughter. I want to know what happened to her,” he said.