NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 18 – Until Wednesday, Rita Waeni’s coursemates could not have imagined the unknown victim in the widely-circulated images of a dismembered body of a young woman was in fact a classmate.
A joint class of corporate communication and journalism student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUA) had just settled in for a routine class at the beginning of the semester when, in the course of the class, a student at the back of the class drew the attention of those seated nearby to their phone.
The student had just stumbled upon a notification online identifying the victim murdered at a short-stay apartment in Nairobi’s Roysambu area on Sunday as a classmate.
Renowned Canadian journalist Steve Buist was taking the students through the day’s class when the statement identifying the victim emerged.
The harsh realization by my classmates and I turned the mood as some of us struggled to reconcile the family’s statement with the events which unfolded since Wednesday, including speculation on social media some of which bordered on victim blaming.
As the class eventually winded down, emotions run high and the anxiety was palpable. It was time to reach out to Waeni’s family and reassure them of our support.
As the investigation moves to the next stage, those of us who knew Waeni consoled ourselves with the hope that justice will ultimately be served with the police having arrested three suspects including a foreign national.
Tony Clark is an Editorial Intern at Capital FM.
