Grief has engulfed Koingeren village in Kericho County after the bodies of two students who had been missing for six days were discovered in a sugarcane plantation in the area.
The victims, an 18-year-old Form Four student from Kisii County and a 16-year-old Form Three student , had reportedly gone missing earlier in the week.
Preliminary accounts indicate that the two students were abducted before their bodies were later discovered. The teenage girl was allegedly raped and strangled, while her body was reportedly doused with acid.
The mother of the 16-year-old girl, Prudence Kirui, said her daughter disappeared on Monday evening after she was allegedly abducted by a gang.
According to Prudence, the family later received a ransom demand of Sh20,000 from the alleged abductors.
The discovery of the bodies has sparked anger among residents, with locals accusing police of failing to act swiftly despite the families reporting the disappearances in time.
Residents are now demanding a thorough investigation to establish how the students were abducted, identify those behind the killings and determine whether the reported ransom demand was connected to the deaths.
Soin Sub-County Police Commander Lawrence Kisini has assured residents that investigations are underway and promised a speedy probe into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
