Kajiado County, Kenya – In a heart-wrenching turn of events, the body of Lydia Tokesi, a 29-year-old Moi University alumna who had been missing for nine days, was found in a thicket in Ongata Rongai on Sunday, January 12. Tokesi was last seen alive on January 4 in the company of her boyfriend, with whom she shared an eight-year relationship.
The discovery was made in Gataka Forest, where her body was found mutilated and showing clear signs of torture. “The state of the body was so bad. You couldn’t really identify it. It was missing some parts. It was found in a thicket,” said Daniel Shikoli, Tokesi’s brother, in a distressing statement to the press.
After the detectives stumbled upon the gruesome scene, they called upon the family to help with identification based on the clothes found with the body. A DNA test is currently being conducted to confirm that the body is indeed that of Lydia Tokesi.
Investigations have shed light on a potentially troubled relationship between Tokesi and her boyfriend. She had financed a vehicle for him, which operated as a taxi in Nairobi but was later found abandoned near her parents’ home with bloodstains. This has raised significant questions about the circumstances of her disappearance and death.
The suspect, Tokesi’s boyfriend, remains at large, prompting a manhunt by local law enforcement. A search of his residence in Ongata Rongai yielded several items of interest, including a love letter suggesting strain in their relationship, which might have contributed to the tragic outcome.
The family is now urging the authorities to expedite their investigation to bring clarity and justice to this horrific case. “We are waiting for the DCI to come out to expedite the process, to let us know, what really happened,” the family pleaded.
As the detectives continue their work at the crime scene, the community and Tokesi’s loved ones are left in mourning, hoping for swift justice for the young woman whose life was cut short under such violent circumstances.