A family in Burkamwana village, Nyakach Sub-County, is demanding justice after their daughter, who had been missing since February 6, was discovered dead in a thicket along the banks of River Konyuro. The body of Elizabeth Akinyi, a Form Four student at Ragen AIC Mixed Secondary School, was found with her eyes gouged out and her throat slit in a gruesome act of brutality.
According to the victim’s mother, a widow, she initially believed her daughter had eloped with her boyfriend and would return home. However, her worst fears were confirmed when Akinyi’s decomposing body was found on Thursday, February 20—two weeks after she vanished while fetching water from a nearby stream.
Kennedy Adero, the Chief of West Kabodho Location, revealed that the discovery was made by children collecting firewood near the river. They were drawn to the site by a foul stench and were horrified to find the mutilated body. They immediately alerted their mother, who raised an alarm, prompting neighbors to gather. Adero, upon receiving the report from a local teacher, informed the police and the victim’s mother, who identified her daughter by the clothes she was last seen wearing.
“The children noticed a strong stench from the thicket and, upon moving closer, saw a body. They ran home to inform their mother, who reported the matter to a teacher. I was called in the morning, and after confirming it was a body, I immediately contacted the mother, who described her daughter’s clothing, confirming it was her,” Adero explained.
Philip Oloo, a human rights activist under Citizen Voice and Action, condemned the murder, describing it as a possible case of gang rape followed by brutal execution. He urged law enforcement agencies, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD), and the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Pap Onditi Police Station, to expedite investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We cannot stay silent as femicide continues to claim innocent lives. Every life matters, and one life lost is too many. This girl appeared to have been gang-raped before being killed—her undergarments were lowered to her thighs, and she was found lying on her back with her throat slit. Authorities must act swiftly to ensure justice is served,” Oloo stated.
The victim’s body was moved to Pap Onditi Sub-County Mortuary, where a postmortem will be conducted as detectives intensify investigations into the shocking murder. The family, local leaders, and human rights activists are now calling for urgent action to end the rising cases of gender-based violence and femicide in the region.
