Mystery surrounds the motive of the murder of a university student whose body was found dumped in a bush in the Mwiki area, Nairobi. 

The family of Mercy Kwamboka, a University of Nairobi student, is seeking justice after her tragic murder that also saw her hands doused with a chemical believed to be an acid.

Kwamboka, a 20-year-old student at Chiromo Campus, was found dead and half naked in a thicket in Mwiki, police and locals said.

The body was discovered in the area on September 28 at about 4 pm.

This was long after she had died in unclear circumstances. She was pursuing a Bachelor of science in C\hemistry, the family said.

She was in her second year. The motive of the murder is yet to be established, police said.

A blanket was found next to her body. The family told police the blanket was not theirs.

A post-mortem report said she had broken legs, bruises on her gum and burnt hands.

A toxicology analysis is being conducted to explain more about the death.

The woman is believed to have been lured from her house in the Pipeline area and later either kidnapped or poisoned before she was brutally murdered.

Police said they are investigating a murder, rape, kidnap and robbery in the incident. The family told police she was managing epilepsy.

The parents have been questioned by police in connection with the murder.

They told police she left the house in a huff on September 27.

The body was discovered the following day.

It has now emerged that Kwamboka’s kidnappers intended to kill her, as her phone and money were found at the location where her body was discovered.

According to witnesses, her body was severely tortured, with one leg broken and her hands doused in acid.

She had gone missing after leaving her home in Pipeline following a phone call late at night and was later found without trousers with her phone and a Sh1,000 note nearby.

The brutal nature of her death has raised questions as evidence suggests her kidnappers intended to kill her before dumping her body, police said.

Witnesses described seeing a car at the scene. Investigations are ongoing to determine thecircumstances surrounding her murder, said Kasarani head of DCI Justus Ombati.

“We have talked to several people of interest in the case. We will get to the bottom of the murder,” he said.

He said no arrest had been made and they are yet to establish the motive.