The mother of the late Sylvia Kemunto broke down in court as she narrated her painful efforts to alert Multimedia University administration about the alleged harassment her daughter was facing, only for her concerns to be ignored.
While giving her testimony, she told the court that she made several attempts to reach out to university officials, seeking intervention and protection for her daughter. Despite her pleas, she said the institution failed to take any action or offer assistance.
According to the grieving mother, the harassment continued unchecked and ultimately culminated in the cold-blooded murder of her daughter a tragedy she believes could have been prevented had the university acted on her warnings.
Her emotional testimony left the courtroom in silence as the case continues, with questions now being raised over the institution’s handling of student safety and harassment complaints.
The deceased, Sylvia Kemunto Ayaye, was a 20-year-old first-year student at Multimedia University of Kenya, pursuing a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science.
At the center of the murder case, Philip Erick Mutinda was Philip was arrested and charged before the High Court in Kibera, where he was charged with the offence of murder, contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
It is alleged that on 30th March 2025, at the Multimedia University of Kenya, located along Magadi Road in Karen, Lang’ata Sub-County, the accused murdered the deceased, with whom he had previously been in an intimate relationship that had ended in February 2025.
Investigations reveal that the accused visited the deceased in her hostel room, where they discussed their breakup. It was during this interaction that the accused is alleged to have killed the deceased by manual strangulation. He then placed her body in a green suitcase and transported it to his hostel room.
The body was later recovered inside a half-filled water reservoir located on the rooftop of the building where the accused resided. The tank had been sealed with a wire and a stone.
Further investigations led to the recovery of the deceased’s mobile phone at the Jesus is Alive Ministry Church. The accused had directed police to the location, where it was established that he had placed the phone on the church pulpit as an offering on 1st April 2025, after discarding the SIM card.
A post-mortem report established that the cause of death was asphyxia due to ligature strangulation and head injury resulting from blunt force trauma.
The murder trial will proceed on March 16,2026.
