Kakamega grandparents' desperate search for missing teen

Samuel Munoko and Fridah Miwnamo, guardians to the seventeen years old Selinah Ingara Munoko display their daughter's portrait while at their Emukaya village home in Navakholo. Selinah left their house early November. PHOTO: CHRISPEN SECHERE/STANDARD

Selina Ingara, 17, left home without her grandparent’s knowledge on November 14 and has not been seen since.

As her colleagues celebrated their KCPE examinations results announced by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, early this month, Selina who obtained 264 marks was nowhere to be seen.

Teachers at her former school, Burenga Primary, who are also shocked by the turn of events described Selina as hardworking, friendly and a quick learner.

When we visited her home in Emukaya village, Kakamega County, we found her grandfather Samuel Munoko busy shelling maize outside his house and putting it out in the sun to dry.

Her grandmother, Fridah Khabaya, had not woken up and Munoko told us she had been worrying about her missing grandchild and he was concerned that this was taking a toll on her health.

Narrating the events of that day, Mzee Munoko said her absence did not worry them at first not until the hours went by and they realised she was nowhere to be found.

“All her clothes and personal effects were intact, the only thing amiss was that the door to her room had been left wide open,” he said.

The family has since reported the matter to local administrators but information on their grandchild’s whereabouts remain scanty.

Joining us later for the interview, Selina’s grandmother described her as an obedient and very disciplined child. She also said her grandchild was not secretive but would let them know when she needed something or wanted to go out.

“She is not a trouble maker and always prefers to stay indoors assisting us with routine chores. It is therefore, very strange that she would leave without a word and hard to believe that she would sneak out of home for good,” Khabaya said.

The elderly couple have stayed with Selina, who has two older siblings, since she was a little child. Her parents separated years ago leaving the three children with their grandparents who have struggled to fend for them and pay their school fees ever since.

“We have seen her grow up and we have worked very hard to mold her into a responsible adult. We are trying to come to terms with what happened but cannot imagine that she may have chosen to elope,” Khabaya said.

The couple is also frustrated because they cannot tell what Selina was wearing since they did not see her go. However, the fact that she left some of her favourite clothes offers her hope that their granddaughter may yet return some day.

“We are living in fear because nobody knows where our grandchild is. We do not know whether she is safe or not and cannot even explain the circumstances leading to her disappearance,” Mzee Munoko said.

Relatives and friends have joined hands in the ongoing search for Selina but their efforts are yet to yield fruits. The search has also been extended to neighbouring areas with no success.

Munoko and Khabaya said they were determined to take their grandchild to secondary school despite their humble means.

“We want her to go to school and get a good education so that she can have a good life and be able to fend for herself once we are gone,” Khabaya said.

In the event that Selina is found living with a man, her grandmother wants a harsh penalty instituted against him saying they tried to protect their grandchild from early marriage.

“She is a small, vulnerable girl and we are determined to protect, guide and direct her until she is fully grown,” she said.

The elderly couple is now calling on anyone with information about their grandchild’s whereabouts to report to the nearest police station or inform the chief.