The decomposing body of 23-year-old Shawn Mark Mwangi has been discovered at the City Mortuary, three weeks after his disappearance, sparking outrage over police inaction and the rising wave of insecurity in the capital.

Mwangi, a fresh university graduate with a bright future, vanished from Kasarani on December 7, 2025. His mother, Sarah Nyambura, says she reported the case immediately to the Kasarani Police Station but was met with apathy. "They told me to wait," she wept. "While I waited, my son was lying cold on a slab." The discovery was made not by detectives, but by the family's own frantic search on December 27.

Signs of Torture

The condition of the body suggests a brutal end. Preliminary observations indicate Mwangi suffered a broken back, severe head trauma from a blunt object, and multiple stab wounds. The injuries point to a slow, painful death, raising disturbing questions about who targeted him and why.

• Police Negligence: The family alleges officers failed to track Mwangi's phone or CCTV footage during the critical first 48 hours.
• Kasarani's Dark Record: The area has become notorious for mysterious disappearances and unsolved murders.
• A Mother's Pain: "I sold everything to educate him," Nyambura said. "Is this the degree Kenya gives its children?"

A System That Fails

Mwangi's death is not an isolated statistic; it is an indictment of a policing system that often treats missing persons reports as administrative burdens rather than emergencies. As the family plans a funeral they never should have had to hold, civil society groups are calling for an immediate overhaul of the Kasarani command.

For young Kenyans, the message is chilling: in a city of millions, you can vanish without a trace, and the system meant to protect you will only look for you when it is too late.