The family of a 21-year-old student from RIAT College is demanding justice after her decomposing body was discovered in Riat Forest.The body was recovered days after she reportedly sent a distress message indicating she had been raped and abandoned.Rose Apondi went missing on April 5, 2026, within the county.According to her sister, Doreen Achieng, the events leading to the tragic discovery began with a missed call on Sunday night.“I saw a missed call on my phone. When she called again, my son told me to check because Apondi was calling,” she recalled.“When I tried calling back, the number was not going through. It was like she had gone offline.”Achieng said her concern deepened when all attempts to reach her sister failed, as both her direct lines were switched off.What unsettled her even more was a message left on WhatsApp, accompanied by an emoji, which she could not immediately understand.“My mind was disturbed. It felt like she was trying to tell me something,” she said.It was not until later that she noticed a chilling message from her sister stating that she had been sexually abused by two people, left in a bush and asking to be rescued.The family says efforts to trace her immediately were unsuccessful, and it took about a week before her body was finally found.Her brother, Maxwell Ochieng, described her as quiet and resilient, saying the family is still struggling to come to terms with the brutal loss.
“My sister was quiet and strong. We still cannot comprehend what has happened,” he said.Her mother, Monica Aketch, said, “Apondi has brought us immense pain as a family. We don’t even know what we will do.”“We are asking the government to help us get justice,” she added.According to the Director of Criminal Investigations’ official Facebook page, detectives from the Kenya Police Service in Kisumu West, working alongside officers from Maseno police station and Riat police post, recovered the decomposing body in Riat Forest.According to the DCI, the body bore multiple stab wounds.Investigators believe the woman was lured into a drinking spree by two male colleagues on the night of April 5, 2026, in Kisumu’s Milimani area, where she was allegedly drugged, sexually assaulted, and later abandoned.Police have since arrested a prime suspect, identified as Steven Okoth, who is believed to have orchestrated the attack.Authorities say he was previously known to the victim and had allegedly issued threats to her in the past.
At the time of his arrest, detectives recovered items considered crucial to the investigation.He is currently being processed for arraignment, while a manhunt for additional suspects is ongoing.The case has sparked outrage among residents and renewed calls for justice and protection of young women, especially students.The family is now appealing to authorities to ensure all those involved are brought to book.
