Cold trail on death of USIU student leader
On Saturday 16, this month, Jerry Isaac Mruma led Tanzanians living in Kenya in celebrating the Tanzania night dinner at the Panafric Hotel.
The next day his body was found along Uhuru Highway, near the Shield Monument, with deep cuts on the head. He had been robbed and murdered.
Mr Mruma, 23 years old, came to Kenya four years ago to study. He was pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the United States International University (USIU)
At the time of his death, he was the founder and CEO of Kilimo Yetu, a company that provides investment opportunities in agribusiness through products referred to as ‘agribonds’.
He was also the representative of graduate students in USIU’s Student Affairs Council.
Sent text
After the dinner at Panafric hotel, he had texted his girlfriend Mitchelle Ngele to inform her that he was on his way home.
“I went to sleep and in the morning when I tried to call him, his phone had been switched off. I could not get him again after that and I got very worried,” said Mitchelle who is also a student at USIU.
For the next three days, none of his friends including his neighbours at Safari Park View Hostels knew his whereabouts.
Concerned, they created a Facebook page ‘Help Find Jerry Isaac Mruma’.
Last Thursday morning, after four days of searching in vain, some friends visited the City Mortuary fearing for the worst.
Their premonition proved true after they positively identified him among the bodies deposited at the mortuary.
They informed his girlfriend Mitchelle who also positively identified him. That was on Friday morning.
“His head was badly damaged and it looked as if he had been hit by heavy stuff,” Mitchelle said.
The Facebook page was changed to “RIP Jerry Jerry Isaac”.
Shield monument
Nairobi News had on Sunday 17 been informed of a body lying near the Shield monument. The body was still clad in a suit but his wallet and shoes were missing.
Beside his body was a list headlined ‘Lists of Attendants to the Tanzanian Association Dinner’.
Central OCPD Patrick Oduma said they could not identify the victim because he did not have his wallet.
Last Wednesday, Mr Oduma said that the body had not yet been identified.
Jones Mdeza says Mr Mruma was a great entrepreneur who had a dream of ending food insufficiency in Africa.
“This is a man who would leave everything he does to lend an ear to everyone. He was never too busy for anyone and it seemed he had the solution to every challenge” Mr Mdeza said.
In a statement, USIU said that according to CCTV footage viewed by the police, Mr Mruma, left the hotel unaccompanied and on foot around 11:09pm.
His body was taken to Tanzania on Sunday by his parents.