This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
On a typical day at Nice Digital Hotel in Mwea, Kenya, 23-year-old Eva Karendi was going about her duties as a waiter when she stumbled upon a thick purse left behind by a customer. Initially, she thought it was a bomb, but after hesitantly checking what was inside, she was shocked to find thousands of crisp Sh1,000 notes stacked inside.
As it turned out, the money belonged to Dr. Esther Mbaabu, a tutor at Meru Teachers College, who had accidentally dropped it after dropping her daughter in school on Saturday. The money was meant for a group of orphans she supports, and she was supposed to send it to their caregivers.
Dr. Mbaabu recounted her ordeal, saying, 'My husband and I had a meal at Nice Digital Hotel and made our way back to his car. I had not realized I had carried my purse into the hotel. I also did not have to, since I was not the one footing the bill for the meal. It was only after he dropped me at the Heritage Hotel at Nkubu that we realised my purse was not in the car.'
After searching online, Dr. Mbaabu obtained the contacts of the hotel and was relieved to hear that her purse had been found and the money was intact. She opted not to travel back to the hotel since it was late, but made her way back there on Sunday, where she met Eva and the hotel's director, Njiru Mkombozi, and his wife.
Dr. Mbaabu expressed her gratitude, saying, 'I was so happy that they found the money and kept it safe for me. I wanted to meet the young girl because what she did was so unselfish, and kind. Eva and I have become good friends. She is from a humble background and I want to support her to upgrade her education.'
