Ivy Wangechi did not have HIV — Father declares

Slain Moi University medical student Ivy Wagechi was HIV-negative.

This is according to her father Paul Githui Wainaina who strongly refuted claims that his daughter infected her killer Naftali Kinuthia with the virus.

Wainaina stated that it was painful to hear such rumours being peddled as if to justify the killing of his first-born daughter whom he described as decent and God-fearing.

“Please help me clean my daughter’s name. She was a decent, hardworking girl. The stories being circulated about her infecting her killer with HIV/Aids are untrue.

“This has been discounted by tests already done,” Wainaina told the Standard.

He further stated that Wangechi was a victim of a brutal murder and should not be vilified.

“Ivy was brought up in a strict Christian background and is a very honest person. Her character cannot be questioned,” he added.

Wainaina, who is the principal of Kanjuiri Secondary School in Nyandarua County, also said that his daughter had never mentioned plans of introducing a suitor to the family and he only had a faint memory of Kinuthia.

“I could not recognise the name. When I was shown his picture pasted in his driver’s license, I faintly recognised him. I could however not have identified him in the streets. It was long ago and the family moved to Thika,” he remarked.

Wangechi’s uncle, John King’ori refuted claims that the suspected killer bought her a car, adding that the deceased was so focused on her studies and wanted to specialize in neurosurgery.

He divulged that the family was organizing a party for Wangechi scheduled for April 20, 2019, and it was difficult to come to terms with the manner in which their daughter was killed.

“I remember how excited she talked about her plans. We simply called her daktari. On the eve of Christmas, we had a huge bonfire. Every now and then Ivy would sneak to her room where she buried herself in books. We had to call her on several occasions not to miss out on the fun,” Kingori said.

Wangechi was hacked to death by Kinuthia on Tuesday outside the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and will be laid to rest on Thursday at Kirai Village in Mahiga, Othaya.