Rongo University students and residents of Migori County were left in shock after the decomposing body of a first-year English Literature student, Emmanuel Nyamweya, was discovered in a well near the university hostels. The grim discovery was made on Wednesday, March 12, three days after he was reported missing.
Nyamweya, 20, who had been staying with his brother on campus, disappeared on Sunday, March 9. According to preliminary police reports, he had watched a football match, returned home, cooked, and slept. On Monday, he attended his usual classes but failed to return, prompting concern from his family and friends.
The discovery was made after neighbors using the well detected a foul smell and alerted the authorities. Upon retrieval, the body was identified as that of Nyamweya. Police suspect he was killed and dumped in the well about four days before his body was found. However, the motive behind his death remains unknown, and no arrests have been made so far.
His father, Jackson Onsongo, shared his distressing experience searching for his son. “Two days ago, I received a call informing me that my son had gone missing. I immediately came to the school to search for him and even reported the matter to the police,” he said. “The police assured me my son would be okay wherever he was and promised to work hard to ensure his safety. But this morning, I received another call from the landlord. When I arrived from Kisii, I was shocked to find a different story—police and a crowd gathered at the scene. My worst fears were confirmed.”
Authorities have since transferred the body to a local mortuary for postmortem examination as investigations continue. Rongo police boss Salim Fundi noted that the body had no visible injuries but had already begun to decompose. Police have urged anyone with information regarding Nyamweya’s disappearance or death to come forward.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the body of an unidentified man with multiple injuries was found near the Migori County government environment offices on March 10. Police believe he was killed elsewhere and dumped at the site. His body was taken to Migori County Referral mortuary for identification and autopsy.
Investigations into both cases are ongoing, with authorities treating them as suspicious deaths.
