Boyfriend and a Mysterious Suitcase: The Final Hours of Murdered MMU Student Sylvia Kemunto

The Multimedia University (MMU) community has been left in shock following the tragic discovery of missing student Sylvia Kemunto’s body in a rooftop water tank. Kemunto, a promising Mass Communications and Computer Science major, had been missing since Sunday, March 30, 2025.

Her body was recovered on Wednesday night, April 2, from a water tank atop Block E, three days after her disappearance. Investigators say the tank had been sealed with wire and weighed down with a heavy stone in an apparent attempt to mask the foul smell.

Kemunto’s disappearance first raised alarm when her mother, Triza Kwamboka, who lives in Kawangware, tried to confirm receipt of upkeep money she had sent via a church elder’s phone. After repeated calls went unanswered, Kwamboka traveled to MMU only to discover that her daughter had not been seen since Sunday.

“She had told me about a young man who was making advances at her. She said she did not like him and I told her to stand firm,” Kwamboka said. Concerned, she filed a missing person report at Langata Police Station.

Police investigations quickly focused on Kemunto’s boyfriend, Philip Eric Mutinda, a first-year Electrical Engineering student, who was seen entering her Block B hostel room (Room 90) around 1pm on the day she vanished.

Witnesses report seeing Mutinda later that evening struggling with a suitcase—allegedly belonging to Kemunto—as he moved it to his own room in Block E, Room 301. His roommate recalled:

“I came in the evening and found the guy with the suitcase. He was trying to lie on it like it was a pillow, but it seemed uncomfortable, so he placed it beside the desk. The next morning, I woke up around 8 and noticed that both the guy and the suitcase were gone.”

Kemunto’s phone was last active around 10pm that night. Signals placed her within the campus compound before her device was switched off. The university then launched a search in collaboration with police.

“It is clear that on that Sunday when the girl was reported missing, the boy entered her room. The police are trying to locate the boy,” said MMU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Geoffrey Kihara.

The horrifying discovery of Sylvia’s decomposing body in the tank prompted outrage and deep concern across the MMU community and beyond. Her body was transferred to City Mortuary for postmortem analysis.

“We want the truth, especially from the school. How could he kill her and move her body undetected?” asked her uncle, Clinton Nyamare.

MMU student leaders echoed the family’s sentiments. “As an institution, where are we heading? What is the guarantee and safety of our girls around men? Those are the questions we are asking,” said MMU Secretary General Okari Okengo.

Police are actively pursuing leads to locate the suspect, who remains at large as of this report.

The case has sparked national discussion on campus safety, gender-based violence, and the need for stricter security measures in student residences.

In other news:Four Jailed for 25 Years for Killing Student Accused of Stealing Phone

Boyfriend and a Mysterious Suitcase: The Final Hours of Murdered MMU Student Sylvia Kemunto