Family seeks assistance to trace missing schoolgirl, 16

A photo of Brigit Mwendia, a student at Star of the Sea High School in Mombasa. She went missing on 5th December under unclear circumstances. [Photo/Kelvin Karani]

A family in Likoni is looking for a schoolgirl who went missing last year.

Brigit Mwendwa, 16, who would now be a Form Three student at the Star of the Sea High School in Mombasa, went missing on December 5 at around 12pm, according to family members.

Her mother, Flora Karimi, said her daughter's disappearance has devastated the family.

"It's so painful... We pray every day hoping our daughter will join us," said Ms Karimi, the mother of two daughters, in an interview with The Standard at her home in Likoni yesterday.

She said she vividly remembered that fateful Wednesday when her daughter, who had been helping her at their business premises, went missing.

She said she realised that Brigit, who rarely left the premises, was not around. At first, she assumed the girl was in the neighbourhood and would return, but several hours later, and after inquiring at home and from neighbours, she became apprehensive.

Regular customer

Karimi said her anxiety changed to panic when a regular customer at her chips kiosk said he had seen the girl at Mount Sinai, about three kilometres away, standing beside a Toyota Probox car with tinted windows. She appeared to be speaking with the driver.

The girl boarded the vehicle and it drove towards Shelly beach.

"We went to report at the AP camp in Likoni and we were assigned two administration police officers. We tried to trace them but we couldn't," said Karimi.

She later reported the incident at Likoni Police Station under Occurrence Book No. 47/6/12/2018.

Detectives circulated the car's registration number and within it was found at Kona ya Zamani and towed to the police station.

"We were notified by police about the arrest of a suspect. Upon interrogation, he admitted to have taken the schoolgirl but said he released her after spending some time with her at Shelly beach," said Karimi.

Brigit's father Jotham Mutethia, 38, said the police have not given the family any update on investigations.

He claims the police appeared to have given up on the search for his daughter.

"Police had told us the suspect will remain in custody to shed more light on the whereabouts of our daughter, but we were surprised to realise he was released without our knowledge," says Mr Mutethia.

Peris Nkatha, 10, Brigit's younger sister, sometimes refuses to go to school, fearing she too might be kidnapped, said her mother.

Karimi described her missing daughter as hardworking, disciplined and deeply religious.

She said she had visited all the police stations, mortuaries and hospitals in Mombasa and beyond in search of her daughter.

"She has never had a case of indiscipline here at home and or in school," said the mother.

The Likoni deputy police chief, Selina Wanjala, acknowledged that the matter was reported, investigated and the suspect charged with abduction.

Suspect charged

But Brigit's parents claimed they were not aware that any suspect was charged and that no one had informed them about a court case.

They also claimed that some people purporting to be speaking for the CID had called them, trying to persuade them to drop the case.

A kinsman even claimed a police officer solicited Sh3,000 from them to advertise the girl's disappearance on a national television.

Family members claimed that the car was no longer at the police station. They appealed to to Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet and Interior CS Fred Matiang'i to intervene.

They also appealed to anyone with information on the Brigit's whereabouts to contact them through 0728651275 or report to the nearest police station.