Prime Suspect in Murder of University Student Whose Body was Found Inside Hostel Tank Surrenders

The prime suspect in the murder of Multimedia University (MMU) student Sylvia Kemunto has surrendered to the police.

Philip Eric Mutinda, a first-year Electrical Engineering student at the university, surrendered to police on Friday, April 4, in Sultan Hamud, Makueni County.

This is after police launched investigations following the tragic death of Kemunto, whose body was discovered days after she was reported missing within MMU’s premises.

Her body was found on the night of Wednesday, April 2, inside a water tank located on the rooftop of a hostel within the learning institution’s compound.

The search began after the first-year student, pursuing a double major in Mass Communication and Computer Science, went missing under mysterious circumstances on Sunday, March 30.

Triza Kwamboka, Kemunto’s mother, told journalists that she had sent her daughter some upkeep money on the day she disappeared.

However, her attempts to reach Sylvia by phone when trying to confirm whether she had received the funds went unanswered, raising concerns. 

Kwamboka then traveled to MMU, where she was informed by the school administration that her daughter had not been seen since Sunday.

She proceeded to file a missing person’s report at Lang’ata Police Station, where an Occurrence Book (OB) entry was made.

Also Read: Students Die as School Septic Tank Collapses

Last moments of Sylvia Kemunto

Speaking to the media, Kwamboka revealed that her daughter had recently confided in her about a male student who was making unwelcome advances.

“She had told me about a young man who was making advances at her. She said she did not like him, and I told her to stand firm,” said the mother.

On the day of her disappearance, Sylvia’s roommate had left for church, leaving the slain student alone in their room—Block B, Room 90.

Investigations reveal that Eric Mutinda, the deceased’s boyfriend, visited her room at around 1:00 p.m. that day.

Also Read: Body of Rongo University Student Found Inside Hostel Well

Eyewitness accounts suggest that Eric was seen struggling with a suitcase, allegedly belonging to Sylvia, as he moved it from her room on the third floor to his residence in Block E, Room 301.

Later that night, Eric’s roommate reportedly noticed the suitcase in their room, but it was missing by the next morning.

“I came in the evening and found the guy with the suitcase. He was trying to lie on it like it was a pillow, but it seemed uncomfortable, so he placed it beside the desk. The next morning, I woke up around 8 and noticed that both the guy and the suitcase were gone,” the witness said.

Discovery of body inside tank within MMU

Shortly after police investigations began, Sylvia’s phone records were traced, placing her last known location within the university compound. Her phone was switched off at approximately 10 p.m. on the same day she disappeared.

This prompted the school management to initiate a search within the campus on Wednesday. During the operation, a foul smell emanating from Block E drew the attention of the search team.

The source of the odor was eventually traced to a water tank on the rooftop of one of the hostels, where the decomposing body of Sylvia Kemunto was discovered.

The retrieval process took nearly two hours, as investigators found the tank had been sealed with wire and weighed down with a heavy stone.

Sylvia’s body was later transported to the City Mortuary, where a postmortem examination is scheduled to determine the cause of death.

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