Puzzle of a 6-Year-Old Kenyan Child Missing for a Year

When Gift Nyambura set off for school on the morning of October 14, 2022, her parents assumed that she would return home in the afternoon with her friends as she normally did.

However, the six-year-old grade one student at Ngano primary school in Piave village, Njoro, Nakuru County, has not been seen since. The family is tormented by the uncertainty of whether she is alive or dead. Reflecting on their last moments together, Nyambura's mother, Mary Wambui, recalls that her daughter woke up full of energy, had breakfast with the family, and then set off for school which was a kilometre away. However, at 1 PM, Nyambura did not return home. Ms. Wambui initially assumed that she had stayed behind for extra tutoring and wasn't concerned.

However, by 4 PM, Ms Wambui became worried when her other daughter came home from school without Nyambura. When she asked about her whereabouts, her daughter revealed that they had parted ways at 1:30 PM at the school gate. According to reports, Nyambura left school alongside her six classmates who had just finished sweeping their classroom. The family was informed by one of the classmates, who lives nearby, that after saying their goodbyes, Nyambura was approached by a woman wearing a black mask. The two then proceeded towards Nyambura's home.

However, the mysterious woman did not drop off Nyambura at her house, and she has not been seen since. Despite searching the neighbours' houses and organizing a five-hour search party, Nyambura could not be found. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. The family eventually reported the incident at the Piave patrol base and was subsequently directed to the Njoro police, with case number 7/14/10/2022. The family asserts that they have extensively scoured mortuaries, hospitals, and children's homes in the pursuit of locating Nyambura, whether deceased or alive.