Tragic lust: Lost bright futures in deadly campus love affairs

My daughter was a disciplined girl and loved the church. She could not harm anyone." Those were the words of Trizzah Kwamboka as she mourned her slain daughter, Sylvia Kemunto. The 22-year-old was a first-year student at Multimedia University of Kenya, pursuing a course in Mass Communication and Computer Science. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Kwamboka said she had high hopes in her daughter who aspired to become a journalist. For a living, the single mother of three sells vegetables in Nairobi's Kawangware informal settlement, where she raised her children. The abrupt death of her daughter has robbed and shattered Kwamboka's dream of living a decent life courtesy of Kemunto, who had promised to lift the mother from poverty. The girl schooled at World Hope Centre within Kawangware before joining Nyabururu High school in Kisii County where she scored A (Minus) in her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams. When the life of Kemunto was cut short at the hands of her alleged boyfriend, Eric Mutinda, it was like a candle blown out. The light she brought to her family was turned into a darkness like no other, just like any other hopeful parent. For Kwamboka, her late daughter's future has been robbed and with it, the hopes of her family. The suspect has told police he visited Kemunto's room in a bid to win her heart. The 19-year-old had been trying to seduce Kemunto, but she had been resisting. A confrontation ensued when he tried to touch her, during which he hit and pushed her, causing Kemunto to hit her head against the wall before she collapsed. A few minutes later, the girl lay dead. Confused at the turn of events, Mutinda folded her body into a large suitcase, took it to his room temporarily before dumping it in a rooftop tank at night. Witnesses later reported seeing him struggle with a suitcase belonging to Kemunto, which he carried from Block B to his room in Block E. Since her secondary education, Kwamboka had been educating her daughter through WhatsApp fundraising. "My child has never been dishonest, and I wonder why that boy killed her," she said. In the last conversation on the phone before she went missing, Kwamboka recalls how their pastor sent Kemunto Sh1,500. "She had said she was fine. I had church elders at home, and one had offered to send her some money for upkeep. I wanted to let her know so she would not be alarmed by an Mpesa message from a stranger, and reverse, she is not used to getting money from people she does not know," said Kwamboka. The woman has found herself in a similar situation that has been befalling parents with children in university. In the recent past, female university students have been dying in almost the same circumstances linked to relationships or love affairs. Her future was bright, her dreams big, her resolve unbreakable-until it wasn't. The murder of Kemunto has ignited a national conversation about the safety of female students and the culture of silence around toxic relationships. Kemunto's death has sparked fury and debate as netizens resuscitated discussions on the disconcerting deaths of university students in institutions of higher learning that has agonizingly become a worry. The volatile situation has turned institutions into a tinderbox, with any misstep potentially leading to tragic consequences. Not long ago, the body of 20-year-old Mercy Kwamboka was found mutilated in a thicket in Nairobi's Mwiki area, after going missing for weeks. The University of Nairobi student had received a mysterious night call and excused herself from the house and would be picked by Joseph Ngera from Pipeline estate. She would later meet her death after a confrontation with Ngera, according to the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), who carried a forensic trail which later established his hideout, together with an accomplice, both of whom are members of the Kenya Defence Forces. Late last year, Mercy Jerono Kwambai, 18, a student at Daystar University, was found dead in a hostel's toilet at the Athi River campus, Machakos County. This was just four days after the nursing student had been admitted to the institution. A postmortem conducted by the government pathologist revealed that Jerono died from a single knife stab to the chest. The weapon used in the attack was recovered at the scene. According to Edward Willtohn, a peer educator in Machakos County, the cases being witnessed are forming some kind of pattern, with relationships being a common denominator which he also says needs to be addressed early. "As high school students prepare for the transition to university life, there is need for emphasizing the importance of early peer counseling in helping them manage life's pressures," says Edward. Mary Nailetoi Samuel, a seasoned high school educator, believes that introducing peer counseling programmes in schools can equip students with the emotional tools they need to navigate the stresses of campus life. "Starting peer counseling early can create a strong foundation for students, teaching them how to manage anxiety, build resilience, and seek support when needed," she explains. Nailetoi strongly believes orientation is crucial as most of the transition students are normally confronted with new challenges that come with university life, among them social adjustment and academic pressure. "Some students are never taught how to handle disagreements or breakups maturely. Combine that with peer pressure, isolation, or heartbreak, and any slight provocation can escalate very quickly," she notes. Teacher Nailetoi says peer counselors act as trusted mentors who can guide their peers in times of crisis, offering advice, encouragement, and support before the pressures of campus life become overwhelming. "Many young people are dealing with intense emotions for the first time, and without healthy coping mechanisms or support systems, they might turn to aggression or violence when they feel rejected, humiliated or insecure," she says. Violent partner Ivy Sharine, who graduated last year from the University of Nairobi, says the biggest challenge is the silence of victims who fear judgment or retaliation, compounded by a society that does not always know how to respond. "There is still a tendency to blame the victim or to treat abusive behaviour as normal couple drama. There is also a lack of consistent policy enforcement from university leadership, which often leaves victims feeling unsupported or unheard. Being a victim of abuse, I wouldn't judge them not coming out, it is always an inner perception that it would get better with time," she observes. According to Sharine, majority of female students in campus do not feel safe when it comes to their personal relationships. "The fear is real. It's in the way we hesitate to report a violent partner, in the way we text friends when heading out on dates, or how we hide our pain behind smiles in lecture halls. And the worst part is that they are often not taken seriously until something irreversible happens," she points out. Brilliant Chebet, a student leader at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, feels the current trend reflects on the broader campus culture on relationships. "As a student leader, it is both disappointing and saddening. A campus is regarded as an institution where different students of different ethnicities learn and develop their social skills, creating a peaceful community amongst themselves, which in turn may lead to relationships," says Chebet, who is the Finance Secretary of the student's body. Chebet notes her position, in collaboration with various organisations, has enabled her come up with peer-support systems focusing on personal development. Need for change Levy Lerion, a student at the same university and youth leader, opines that student leaders should create a good rapport with comrades and come up with an initiative where students joining campus are grouped to create a university based family. Another student leader says there is need for change in campus to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, and not just women in relationships. "The approach of creating awareness needs to be balanced and not gender bias as most initiatives are tailored to address the ladies. Let the men also have sessions where they are taught on how to deal with relationship issues such as rejection," says Lenox Abira, a leader at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Selpher Cheloti, a university lecturer, says while the role of universities is to create a safe environment for learners, it is often not the case. Additional reporting by Collins Kweyu

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