A family from Kiriaini in Mathioya, Murang’a county is having sleepless nights following the disappearance of their kin 10 days ago.
Esther Ruguru reportedly went missing on July 1, 2023, and efforts by the family to trace her have been futile.
Stanley Mwangi, a cousin to Ruguru, said the missing relative runs an eatery in Kiriaini town and that on the day she disappeared she did not go home as usual after closing the business.
Mwangi said some people claimed that she was picked up by an unidentified vehicle outside the premises but they did not suspect there could have been an ill motive.
“We got reports that she was picked up by a vehicle as she left her work but they could not identify the people inside,” he said.
Mwangi said the cousin has been in a relationship with a male friend for a couple of months and that they have been going out on weekends.
He added that three days after Ruguru went missing they got a report that her boyfriend was admitted at Kiriaini mission hospital after allegedly being involved in an accident.
“We went to visit him and he told us he was involved in an accident on his way to Othaya where he was going to pick up his vehicle. He however did not come clean if they were together with Ruguru on the night she went missing,” Mwangi said.
The cousin and the family reported the matter to the police.
The investigating officer tried tracking Ruguru’s phone and the last signal was traced along Othaya-Nyeri road.
“We suspect she could have been abducted by someone known to her but we have not been able to unravel the mystery,” he remarked.
Mwangi additionally said that they also reached out to Ruguru’s ex-lover, who she broke up with last year, to enquire if he could be knowing her whereabouts but he said he didn’t know.
“He has been very bitter with her after their separation and we fear he could have gone after her to harm her,” the cousin said.
Michael Irungu, brother to Ruguru, said they have gone to all the hospitals and mortuaries in the area in efforts to look for her to no avail.
Irungu said they feel the police are also not doing enough to help them trace her, further deepening their worries.
The brother said the sister, who is a mother of three, is the sole breadwinner in the family and her disappearance has taken a toll on them.
“We are hoping to get her alive and we plead with whoever could have abducted her to release her so that we can be at peace,” Irungu said.
