Killed varsity student was ‘upbeat about settling down’

Frank, outspoken, intelligent and disciplined. That is how friends described Mercy Chepkosgei Keino, who died in questionable circumstances nine days ago.

Mr Wisley Moturi, who was her Bachelor of Education classmate at Baraton University and later at the University of Nairobi where they were pursuing master’s degree in communications, said it was unlikely she had been drinking.

“I did not know her as the kind of person who would take alcohol and get intoxicated as suggested,” Mr Moturi told The Nation on Sunday.

He said the young woman was upbeat about completing her studies and settling down into family and professional life.
“This was her year.

She was excited about completing her master’s degree and she was also looking forward to her wedding in December,” Mr Moturi said.

He said Mercy was likeable and got along well with her classmates.

“For us, her friends, it is painful to accept her death as there are too many questions that are yet to be answered. I cannot bear to think what her family is going through,” he said.

Another friend, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Mercy had accompanied a cousin to the party at Wasini Luxury Homes in Nairobi’s Westlands area.

The high-end apartments are located on Church Road, about 150 metres off Waiyaki Way.

A single gate leads into the exquisitely maintained compound, with four blocks of three-storeyed apartments shielded from public view by a high perimeter fence.

The gate is manned at all times, and guests are required to provide a national identity card, even if they are making enquiries and not entering the compound.

A security guard refused to let the Nation team in, saying that only the manager, who was away for the weekend, could authorise entry for the media.

All our enquiries about the fateful night drew blanks, as the officer said she had been deployed to the apartments three days ago.
That the compound is well guarded is not in doubt, and there is at least one closed-circuit television camera at the gate, which would also have been well-lit at night.

The security cameras may help detectives piecing together Mercy’s last moments identify the time she walked in, who accompanied her, the time she left and with whom.

The apartments are advertised online as having a “sophisticated security system, CCTV monitors, an electric fence and firefighting equipment”. Residents also enjoy a spa, gym, swimming pool and high speed internet access.

They also need not worry about power outages as there is a standby generator.

The Nation could not establish the cost of renting an apartment at Wasini but the website has a special offer for a “Honeymooners Weekend Escape” at Sh27,000.

Ms Keino’s body was found on Waiyaki Way hours after she stormed out of a party at the premises.

She allegedly had an altercation with an MP at the party.

Her friends, with whom she attended the party, only learnt of her death on Saturday, June 18, more than 12 hours after she left the apartment