By Allan Olingo
When Pollet Waithira Mungai left home, her parents did not know that it would be the beginning of their anguish.
It was early last month when the Form Four student at Kambui Girls High School, Kiambu, left their Banana home without informing anyone of her movements.
Over a month later, no one in the family knows where she is leaving her parents to agonise as they look for her.
“On the second day of May, my son told me that Pollet, 17, had left home and returned two days later on the May 4. She then packed her bag and we have never seen or heard from her ever since,” her father, John Mungai says.
no complaints
This was just about the time they were to open school for their second term and Pollet had not talked to her brother or niece about any problems she had.
“She talked to her brother and niece about going to Ruaka. When they inquired why she was going, she did not give any reasons. Even after her siblings tried to get to know if there was any problem, she kept mum. Then she just left,” says the father.
On May 3, she had called her brother and enquired whether she was home and she even asked him to go downstairs.
“Her brother told her that he was not around. He told her to speak to her mother who was at home at that time. She did not,” Mungai reveals. “She said that it was her life and she was going to live it the way she wanted. She then left with her brother’s phone. We have tried calling and even sending messages to her with no results. Eventually her phone went off,” says Mungai.
disciplined girl
Mungai reported her disappearance to Karuri Police Station on the May 6. It was booked on the occurrence book as number 23/6/5/2012.
Mungai says that Pollet has been a disciplined girl except for a single incident last December when she did not spend at home.
“Over the Christmas holidays, Pollet had disappeared for a night but she returned the next day. Upon inquiry, I learnt that she had spent at some boy’s place, whom she claimed was from Buruburu,” says Mungai.The parents are now at a loss because nobody knows her whereabouts, the details of this boy or even any form of communication with her, including the social media.
“Interestingly she is not a friend to any of her siblings on the social media making it very difficult for us to even trace her,” Mungai offers.
school’s concern
“The school noted her absence and even sent us a letter asking us to send her back to school for the second term. They thought that she had not reported back because she had fee problems. They were even willing to let her study as she sorts her fee problem. They were equally surprised when we informed them of her disappearance,” says Mungai.
The parents went to school on June 4, to get more information from the management or even her friends but this yielded little result. The school only promised to do an investigation of her whereabouts through her friends.
“We are till waiting for a response from the school management. They told us that they have narrowed down to one of her friends who might have a clue about her whereabouts. We are not yet sure about this,” Mungai says.
Mungai says that Pollet was a quiet child who loved to stay indoors and was close to her brother.
“We always joked with her that her brother would pass as her boyfriend because of how close they were. It’s a big nightmare for the family. Her disappearance has caused us sleepless nights,” the father says.
Mungai describes his daughter as a high performer and a potential candidate who when in form two was recognised as the best student in physics.
Says Mungai: “I am ready to forgive her. All I want is for her to come back home and head back to school. Her future is more important than anything else.”
