Kabiro-ini village in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County is grappling with shock and sorrow following the tragic demise of a 29-year-old woman who allegedly took her own life by jumping into River Nyamindi with her 5-year-old daughter on her back.
According to her uncle, Stephen Maembe, Moreen Wangui Munene, aged 29, made the fateful leap into the river for reasons yet unknown, carrying her young daughter with her.
The heartbreaking incident unfolded in the presence of a watchman from the Kainamoi coffee factory, who sounded the alarm, but unfortunately, help arrived too late to save them.
Her grandfather, Ngombo Kuruma, recounted that Moreen had been outside washing clothes before inexplicably vanishing with her child, leaving everyone inside the house unaware of her intentions.
Kuruma, a devout member of the Seventh Day Adventist church, was preparing for church when he received the devastating news about his granddaughter’s fate. Contrary to any prior indications, Fridah Njoki, Moreen’s grandmother, revealed that just the week before, Moreen had visited her and showed no signs of distress or depression.
Njoki disclosed that Moreen had been residing with her parents in Embu, where her mother served as a civil servant and her father worked as a contractor. The reason behind Moreen’s decision to end her life remains a mystery to Njoki.
“She was a very good girl, and her baby too,” Njoki fondly remembered.
Meanwhile, authorities have initiated investigations into the tragic incident involving Wangui and her young child in Kabironi village, Kirinyaga. Police Commander Johnson Wachira of Gichugu sub-county confirmed the incident, stating that investigations are currently underway.
“The matter has been brought to our attention, and our investigative efforts are ongoing,” assured Wachira, who also mentioned that law enforcement officers, alongside local residents, are at the scene, endeavoring to recover the bodies from the river.
