This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
Published on September 12, 2019, a remarkable story of honesty and kindness has emerged from a Kenyan hotel in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.
A 23-year-old waitress, Eva Karendi, was going about her duties at Nice Digital Hotel when she came across an abandoned purse containing Sh60,000.
Initially, she was terrified, thinking it might be a bomb, but after gathering her courage, she decided to check what the purse was carrying.
Inside, she found several Sh1,000 notes stacked together, but instead of keeping the money, she immediately took the purse to the hotel's management.
It was later established that the money belonged to Dr. Esther Mbaabu, a tutor at Meru Teachers College, who had accidentally dropped the purse after dropping her daughter in school on Saturday.
Dr. Mbaabu had planned to send the money to a group of orphans she supports.
"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 realized my purse was not in the car," Dr. Mbaabu said.
Dr. Mbaabu immediately searched for the hotel's contacts online and called to enquire whether someone might have seen the purse.
"One Mr. Kariuki picked the phone but since he was not at the hotel, promised to call back after checking if a lost purse had been found. He called back to give me the good news that my purse had been found and the money was intact," Dr. Mbaabu said.
Dr. Mbaabu applauded the waitress for her kindness and promised to support her to upgrade her education.
"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," Dr. Mbaabu said.
