A family in Murang’a County is pleading for answers after their 15-year-old son, Ian Gichagua Maingi, mysteriously disappeared from Njumbi High School nearly three weeks before schools officially closed for the December holidays.
Ian, a Form Two student, was expected home on October 18 after his mother, Jennifer Muthoni, received a message from the school announcing the end of the term. Believing her son would return home as usual, she prepared to welcome him — but he never arrived.
Mother’s Desperate Search Begins
Mrs. Muthoni says her nightmare began when she realized she had not received the usual departure confirmation message from the school, which tracks when students leave the premises.
“When I didn’t get the message by midday, I called one of the teachers, and that’s when I learned the students had already been released earlier that morning,” she told reporters.
Upon following up with Ian’s class teacher, she was shocked to hear that he had allegedly gone home weeks earlier over unpaid school fees — a claim the school principal denied, insisting that no such permission was granted.
It was only then that the family realized Ian had been missing for nearly three weeks, and no one at the school had noticed.
Conflicting Accounts from the School
According to a class representative, Ian had mentioned on September 28 that he was feeling unwell and intended to seek permission to go home after church. However, his mother maintains that she never received any leave-out notification, as required by the school’s protocol.
Earlier in September, Mrs. Muthoni had visited the school after learning that students with unpaid fees were being sent home. She pleaded with the administration to allow Ian to stay in class while she made payment arrangements, and the school had agreed.
Despite this understanding, Ian never returned home, and the school has yet to provide a clear explanation of how or when he left the premises.
Police Launch Investigation
The matter has been officially reported to Nyakianga Police Station under OB Number 13/19/10/2025, as the family appeals to the public for information on Ian’s whereabouts.
Police have since launched investigations to determine whether the student may have left the school voluntarily
