Family of murdered kin demand for justice

The family of Lydia Tokesi Bukhala, a young woman brutally murdered and dumped in Ngong Forest, is demanding justice as her killer remains at large nearly a month after her body was found.

During a memorial mass for Lydia in Nairobi, her brother, Daniel Bukhala, expressed frustration over what he termed as inaction by law enforcement despite crucial leads pointing to a prime suspect.

“The family, through its own effort, recovered her body, personal car, and even made known to police the identity of the person she was last seen with. Up till now, almost a month since she was killed, the perpetrator is yet to be arrested,” he said.

Bukhala added: “He remains at large, and a threat to other vulnerable girls. Authorities are yet to tell us whether or not they possess any leads that could result in the arrest of Lydia's killer. Is this inactivity to trace and apprehend the key suspect deliberate? Is the suspect being shielded or protected by powerful forces?

Is the Government so inadequate in protecting its womenfolk that it has surrendered itself to a bunch of cold-blooded murderers?”

According to the family, Lydia, a Moi University graduate, went missing on January 4. A week later, on January 11, her mutilated body was discovered in Ngong Forest.

The brutality of her murder comes at a time there is growing concerns over the rise in femicide cases in the country. 

The body of Lydia was found dismembered with some body parts missing, and the condition of the remains suggested she had been tortured before being killed.

The main suspect, according to the family, was identified as Joseph Philip Orwa, Lydia’s longtime boyfriend, with whom she had been in a relationship for eight years.

The case of Lydia is not isolated, there have been a surge in gender-based violence cases in the country.

The government recently formed a working group to investigate femicide, but Bukhala fears it may turn into just another “talk shop.”

“As a family, we have been robbed of a love, a great and magnificent soul, a leader, a good citizen. We have been robbed of our girl. We know it's not just Lydia Tokesi; dozens of families elsewhere in Kenya are also crying out for justice for their loved ones whose innocent lives were cut short,” he said.

He called on the government to declare femicide a national tragedy, noting that it is a bloat on Kenya's conscience.

“Indeed, this time it's Lydia; tomorrow it could be your daughter, your sister, your mother. This national shame should concern and worry every right-thinking person,” said Bukhala.