Juja Dam Tragedy: Fridah Warau Kamuyu Was To Leave Kenya

Mwaura further noted that investigations were ongoing to probe whether it was an accident or an act of suicide.

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Jan 30, 2023 - 08:54 Updated: Jan 30, 2023 - 08:56
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Juja Dam Tragedy: Fridah Warau Kamuyu Was To Leave Kenya
Collage of Fridah Warau Kamuyu who drowned in Juja Dam alongside 39-year-old Tirus Maina on January 17, 2023. /FILE

22-year-old Fridah Warau Kamuyu, who drowned in a dam at Titanic area in Juja, Kiambu County, had lived a secret lifestyle and even planned to relocate from Kenya for greener pastures.

A close friend who spoke to the media revealed that Kamuyu was reportedly staying in a rental house in Makongeni estate, Kiambu County with 39-year-old Kiambu businessman, Tirus Maina whom they formed an intimate relationship.

The two had reportedly met during one of Kamuyu's entertainment gigs in Thika town and thereafter continued to see each other for the past four months.

Collage of Fridah Warau Kamuyu who drowned in Juja Dam alongside 39-year-old Tirus Maina on January 17, 2023. /FILE

Kamuyu, who graduated in November 2022 with a Diploma in Hospitality, had also lived away from her relatives and friends. Her death thus went unnoticed until detectives informed her relatives and asked them to identify her.

According to Kiambu County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO) Richard Mwaura, the parents did not know about their daughter's whereabouts as she rarely called home.

“We had to process her fingerprints because no one had come out to claim her,” Mwaura told The Standard.

Maina, a businessman and consultant in the construction industry who also died in the incident was quickly identified through the number plates of the vehicle, Fridah’s body however lay in the morgue for close to 10 days.

The detectives were able to trace Kamuyu's roots to Njiku village in Mathioya Constituency in Murang’a County, but her parents currently reside in Nairobi. She lived in the shadows despite her young age, education and beauty, leaving her friends, family and alumni members unaware of her death.

She had no identification document on her and it was only through her fingerprints that the detectives were able to profile her bio and contact her relatives, who identified her, allowing detectives to conduct an autopsy which indicated that she died of drowning.

Kamuyu also had bruises on her left arm and her investigative file indicated that she held a diploma in hospitality and ran a money transfer agency in Thika town.

Mwaura further noted that investigations were ongoing to probe whether it was an accident or an act of suicide.

"Mechanical analysis of the vehicle, state of the bodies as recovered, analysis of autopsies as well as toxicology reports will give us a file closure," read his statement in part. 

Locals at Juja Dam where the couple drowned on January 17, 2023. /FILE

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