19-Year-Old Nairobi County Intern Found Dead After 23-Day Search

Elvis Munene, a 19-year-old intern at Nairobi City County’s IT department, was found dead at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on Thursday, 23 days after he went missing on January 29.

Munene, a KCA University student, disappeared after leaving work at City Hall Annex to run errands in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD). His family had made public appeals for information about his whereabouts.

According to Citizen TV, Munene had arranged to meet a close friend downtown to buy a phone cover. However, the pair was confronted by police officers, leading to the friend’s arrest while Munene fled.

Tragically, Munene was captured by a mob near Kirinyaga Road and Charles Rubia Road, where he was beaten senseless between 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Eyewitnesses alleged that he had attempted to steal a phone.

“The guy (Munene) snatched a phone, and a mob chased and beat him up. Police arrived, rescued him, and an ambulance later took him away. Where they took him, we do not know,” a witness recounted.

Munene was reportedly taken to KNH, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to severe head injuries. He succumbed two days later, with his body being moved to the hospital’s mortuary.

His family, unaware of his fate, continued searching until his body was found. Questions have now arisen over the timeline of events leading to his death.

Munene’s mother, Marion Karambu, revealed he had called her at 4:20 p.m. that day, requesting money for transport home. Oddly, Munene had left home without his identification documents, which were later found in his room.

Police have since arrested Munene’s friend and others linked to the case, as investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death continue.