JKUAT’s Administration Lied To a Parent About The Death of Her Daughter

JKUAT’s administration withheld information about the death of a student from her father for a day. Muthoni was a First Year student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). She was killed by thugs outside the institution’s compound.

Instead the institution had lied to the father that his 19-year- old daughter, was in the hospital, while in reality, she had already died. The 71-year-old father disclosed that,

“On Thursday night [February 7], a lecturer at JKUAT called and asked me if I knew a young woman whose name is Tabitha Muthoni, and I answered on the affirmative. He, thereafter, told me: ‘We are very sorry Baba Tabitha, your daughter, who was in the company of her friend, while heading to the hostels from the university, was stabbed by thugs; and she has been rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital’,” said Mr Mwangi.

The old man could not believe his eyes when upon reaching JKUAT’s main gate on 8^th February, where he found students at the institution demonstrating over his daughter’s death, yet he was unaware that her daughter was no more! He fainted

“I was shocked to discover that the person, who the students were protesting over her killing, was my daughter. All that while, the university had kept me in the dark. JKUAT had, all through, made me think that that she was hospitalized at the Kenyatta National Hospital,” said Mr. Mwangi.

“Upon regaining consciousness, I couldn’t help but let tears roll down my cheeks,” added the distressed old man.

Mr. Mwangi would, afterwards, carry on to Kenyatta Funeral Home, confirmed that his daughter was “no more”.

“When I saw my daughter’s motionless body, I couldn’t believe that she was the one, whom I had just spoken to a few hours earlier. I broke down – uncontrollably. In my entire life, I had never allocated money to buy a suit [for myself] – simply because I was plunging all the money I had into my daughter’s education. I, honestly, do not know what my family and I would do [now that she is gone],” said Mr Mwangi.

Tabitha Muthoni, A First Year; who was pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree course in Supplies Chain Management, was, on February 7, confronted by two criminals, who commanded she hands over her smartphone and money to them.

Ms Muthoni, though, refused to heed their orders. The robbers, thereafter, stabbed her in the left side of her chest with knife, leaving her heavily bleeding, as they made away with her smartphone and money.

She was rushed to JKUAT health center, where she succumbed on arrival and later her body was taken to Kenyatta University Funeral Home.

JKUAT administration on Friday, February 8 issued a press statement following the occurrence. “The university is ready to work with security agents in Juja to investigate the incident and bring the culprits of the heinous crime to book,” said JKUAT Vice Chancellor, Prof. Victoria Ngumi, in the statement.