This archive report was first published on 18 July 2021.
Christine Ambani, a 23-year-old Kiriri Women's University student, went missing in Githurai, Kiambu County, on July 12, 2021. She had visited a friend in the area on Monday afternoon and was last seen being escorted to the Githurai bus stage by her host.
Police investigations suggest that Ambani was killed on the day she went missing. Her body was found at a parking lot in Githurai and taken to City Mortuary, where it was registered as 'unknown' at 3am on Tuesday, July 13.
According to police, Ambani's assailants took control of her phone and were in constant communication with her family, demanding ransom. However, the time taken to end her life was too brief for a ransom plot, suggesting that it was a pre-planned murder.
A detective involved in the investigation told The Standard that the case was unusual, with the assailants using Ambani's WhatsApp account to communicate with her family and demanding ransom for her 'release' on Wednesday, July 14.
Ambani's sister, Ruth, received a message from someone claiming that her sister owed him money and had been detained. The message included a screenshot of mobile money messages, which showed a transfer of Sh87,000 to Ambani's mobile wallet. However, Ruth suspected that the message was fabricated, as the transfer charge was Sh300, not Sh105.
Ruth sent Sh5,000 to Ambani's mobile money line, which the abductors were in control of, out of anxiety and a desire to save her sister's life. Detectives are now seeking to find out where the money was withdrawn or to which account it was transferred.
