Relatives and friends bid farewell to Hilda Mukami Gathenyi, a Muchuki Polytechnic student and businesswoman in Mukurweini, who was fatally stabbed outside her shop.

Grief has engulfed friends and relatives of the late Hilda Mukami Gathenyi, as they laid her to rest days after she was brutally murdered.

The 25-year-old, who was both a student at Muchuki Polytechnic and a budding businesswoman in Mukurweini, Nyeri County, was fatally attacked outside her shop.

On Monday, September 8, Mukami was accosted by an assailant as she walked to her business in Mote Area. She sustained multiple stab wounds — four in total — to her ribs, forehead, armpit, and right breast. She was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Her family described her as warm, generous, and irreplaceable. “You filled my life with laughter and a bond that I can never replace. Mukami had the sweetest smile and a laughter that could brighten the darkest day. She had a way of making each day beautiful. When I was broke, she would send me money,” recalled her sister.

At the graveside, a family elder added, “Please don’t sleep, pray hard, and that is my prayer until God does something.”

Another relative lamented: “They robbed us of our best friend and sister, and although they say time heals all wounds, they don’t know these wounds run too deep.” Mukami’s mother was inconsolable, describing her daughter as the greatest gift of her life.

“The emptiness consumes my being, your laughter is no longer gleaming; wishing I could turn back time and comfort your pain. I long to hold you and feel your warm embrace, Mama, but you have flown to heaven,” she said tearfully.

She went on: “I long to say your name and turn back time. Our bond is unbroken, though death parts our flames. I will cherish each memory with pride in my heart, knowing one day we will be together and won’t ever part. Until then, my guiding light, you give me the will to continue living. Go well, my darling Kamiko.”

The motive behind the attack remains unclear as investigations continue.