A cold blood murder... a disputed DNA: Mother's painful wait to bury Grade 1 child

Jedida Mwende’s life was brutally cut short. 

The Grade 1 pupil disappeared on July 11, 2026, triggering a frantic search that ended in horror when her body was discovered murdered and burnt beyond recognition along Maasai Road in Embakasi. 

For her mother, Hellen Kemunto, the tragedy has been compounded by alleged police negligence and an unexpected family dispute over the child's identity.

Recalling the harrowing ordeal, Kemunto revealed that her initial attempts to report her daughter’s disappearance at the Villa Police Station were met with bureaucratic roadblocks. 

Officers at the station reportedly denied her an Occurrence Book (OB) number, a critical first step in initiating an official missing person investigation. 

Days later, the police contacted Kemunto and showed her a photograph of a child's body recovered along Maasai Road. She was directed to the City Mortuary, where her worst fears were confirmed. 

"Kufunguliwa nikaona mwili, nikaona kitambaa alikuwa nayo nikajua tu huyu ni mtoto wangu," a heartbroken Kemunto recounted, remembering the piece of cloth that confirmed the remains belonged to her daughter.

Jedida was the only child of Kemunto and her ex-husband, Munyau Mbituka, who were married for nine years before divorcing. 

While Kemunto positively identified the remains, the burial process ground to a halt after Mbituka suddenly disputed the identity of the body, despite having initially filled out forms acknowledging the child. 

The dispute has forced the family into a gruelling legal and medical process to resolve the identity of the 7-year-old. 

"Tukaambiwa tunaenda KNH kufanya DNA na postmortem ifanyike," Kemunto said.

Samples for the DNA test were taken, and the family was instructed to wait for nine days to get the results that will conclusively prove the child's identity and allow the investigation to proceed. 

To date, Kemunto maintains that Villa Police Station has still not issued her an official OB number for the incident.

 At their home in Riara slums, neighbors and relatives have been gathering for over a month to hold prayer services and mobilize funds to meet the burial expenses. 

For Kemunto, the painful reality of her daughter's absence is felt every day as she sits holding nothing but Jedida’s school bag, shoes, and school uniform—painful reminders of an innocent young dream that was tragically and violently ended.

The father, Mbituka, told Citizen Digital that they are waiting for DNA results to know the next step, even though the investigation into the incident has stalled for over a month, with little action from the police.

According to Embakasi police division head of CID, Charity Sigilai, detectives are probing the incident and are urging those with information to come forward, even as they piece together details leading to the unfortunate killing of the minor.