Missing EABL Manager Found Alive in Maragua Town After Week-Long Search

Lilian Nyambura Mbugua, a 28-year-old brand manager at East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) in Nairobi, has been found alive after being missing for nearly a week.

She was located early Tuesday morning at a filling station in Maragua Town, Murang’a County. The discovery was confirmed by Murang'a South Deputy County Commissioner Gitonga Murungi, who noted that while Lilian's whereabouts are now known, further details regarding her disappearance are still being investigated.

Family members report that Lilian was visibly distressed when found shortly after midnight and was subsequently taken to a local health centre for evaluation. Her safe return has provided significant relief to her family and friends, who had been actively searching for her since she was reported missing on December 23.

Lilian had travelled to her mother's home in Murang’a for the holiday season on December 21. The last confirmed sighting of her was on the evening of December 23, after a church service and a day spent with family. According to her uncle George Njuguna, Lilian left the house for what was considered a routine walk, dressed only in a headscarf and slippers.

“It seemed like she had just gone for an ordinary walk around the estate because she was still in her head scarf and slippers. Her mother was doing some house chores in the backyard. Her car, its keys, laptop and keys to her Nairobi house were also in the family house, alongside all her identity documents,” George Njuguna told journalists.

Attempts to contact her by phone were unsuccessful as both of her mobile phones remained at home, along with her car keys, laptop, and identification documents. These circumstances prompted her family to report her disappearance to the Gikono police post and subsequently to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenol.

Initial investigations by the DCI revealed that Lilian had made three phone calls on the evening of December 21, but her activities and whereabouts during the time she was missing continue to remain unclear.