By Melisa Mong’ina
Nairobi, Kenya: Imagine the devastating reality of losing your only beloved child to femicide. A child you had nurtured for 23 years dreaming of a bright future for her. Death is indeed a merciless beast, one that shattered Lucy Njeri’s hopes and happiness. It separated a child from her mother.
As a mother Lucy longed to see her daughter grow up and become an amazing adult that she envisioned. Unfortunately, her dream was cut short when Seth Nyakio’s life was taken cruelly.
Seth Nyakio had recently graduated from Zetech University in media studies as narrated by the mother. She had her future cutout as she aspired to join the media industry.
Lucy Njeri reflected on how her identity changed since the tragic death of her daughter. She emphasized that her strength and leadership as a Nominated Member of the County Assembly of Kirinyaga were once driven by a desire for positive societal change, particularly in advocating for women’s rights. However, the personal loss has reshaped her sense of self.
“I used to wear many hats that held power and voice. But after my daughter’s death, I became someone fragile and shocked,” she shared with deep emotion.
Njeri believed that poverty and lack of empowerment affected the decisions made by women and girls, especially regarding their sexuality. These issues were important to her long before she entered politics.
“I have been advocating for women’s rights even before I joined politics, participating in community work and empowerment programs,” she shared. “I started a youth initiative focused on women’s empowerment because I believed that poverty and lack of freedom were root causes preventing women from making informed choices.”
The tragedy of her daughter’s death has overwhelmed Njeri, disrupting her ability to function or be productive. She shared the emotional toll it has on her, including recurring nightmares and feelings of despair.
“I have not been able to work for a whole month, and I don’t think I will be able to be productive again,” expressed the Nomonated MCA.
Seth is said to have been lured by her friend and then Boyfriend Ken Kimathi Gichunuku alias Sultan who has since been hiding after Nyakio’s heneious murder, whose body was found at her friend’s house in Biafra, Thika township. The Department of criminal Investigationn (DCI) have requested the public to help find Gichunku.
Njeri also criticized the media’s portrayal of her daughter’s death, which focused on romantic turmoil rather than the true circumstances. She called for a more accurate and respectful approach to reporting such tragedies, highlighting the need to change harmful stereotypes about women.
“The media needs to stop perpetuating myths about women. When my daughter died, I saw stories framing it as a love story gone wrong, but I knew my daughter better than that,” she said.
She recounted how the authorities handled the situation poorly, without proper communication or investigation. The distress caused by the lack of professionalism from law enforcement has compounded her grief.
“When I heard that my daughter was killed, it was hard to believe. The initial response by the police was chaotic and insensitive. Nobody called me, I got the news from my nephew. At the crime scene, there was no red tape. The evidence might have been tampered with by the perpetrators,” Njeri shared.
She pointed out the broader societal issue where women may unknowingly contribute to the violence against other women, highlighting that men should not be the only people seen as perpetrators.
“We need to acknowledge that there are women who play a role in enabling these perpetrators. They lure innocent girls into their vicinity and invite them to their birthday parties so that they can attack,” she stated.
The absence of justice for her daughter deepens her pain, and she criticized the attempts to dismiss the nature of her daughter’s death. She noted that some authorities wrongly implied her daughter had suffered from health issues.
“It’s a struggle to seek justice for someone who cannot speak for themselves. I was told that my daughter had a brain tumor and she had informed her friends that she had a few days to live. They wanted it to look like suicide,” Njeri lamented.
Njeri called for a thorough investigation into critical issues surrounding femicide, emphasizing the need for a collective societal effort to address the problem deeply.
“We must go beyond superficial awareness efforts. It’s time to investigate and understand the root causes of this issue. We must also understand the problem with our boys, starting from their family setup,” she urged.
As Kenya joins the 16 Days of Activism to End Femicide, Lucy’s voice is a call to action, demanding justice and a world where no mother has to bury her child due to femicide or Gender-Based Violence.
