This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On July 24, 2019, Ferdinand Ongeri, the 40-year-old deputy chairperson of the Kenya National Union of Nurses' Kisumu branch, went missing after successfully negotiating a promotion deal for nurses with the county's Health department in Kisumu.
His decomposing body was found dumped at Kimondi Forest in Nandi County on Saturday, sparking an investigation into his killing.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun) has demanded an investigation into Ongeri's murder, with Secretary General Seth Panyako claiming that Ongeri might have been murdered because of his union work.
"He was a promising unionist who did not hesitate to speak his mind in assessing union issues. He had a high potential of ascending to the top leadership of the union," said Mr Panyako.
Ongeri's brother, Polycarp Ondiek, expressed the family's shock and insecurity over the motive behind the murder, stating that Ongeri lived a peaceful life and had no known enemies.
According to Knun officials, Ongeri had promised to share details of his negotiations with the county officials on the union's online platform but did not.
The union's officials later went to the dispensary where Ongeri worked and learnt that he had not reported since Wednesday, with services at the facility paralyzed after he went missing.
On Saturday, a Kapsabet County Referral Hospital nurse called the union's officials and told them of a body that had been retrieved from Kimondi Forest, which was later confirmed to be Ongeri's.
