When she arrived in Stockholm in 2004, Nyambu was like any other Kenyan girl who was focused on starting a new life in Sweden. However, unresolved personal contradictions that surrounded her past lay camouflaged behind her exuberant posture as she sought to assume her station in the rather complicated Kenya-Stockholm life. In this continuing series of “The Road to Double Murder”, KSB explores critical factors that may have fuelled Nyambu’s drive to take the lives of her children in what, according to her, “was the only way out”. We do not pretend to have ready answers to all the questions. However, the facts are presented with the best possible accuracy with the hope that these facts may help disturbed hearts come to terms with what has become the greatest tragedy within the Kenyan community in Stockholm in recent times.
Many unanswered questions
After she took the lives of her two children, many questions have been asked by those concerned while very few answers have been forthcoming. As the case continues to roll at Attunda court in Stockholm, new details that could resolve the “double murder puzzle” also continue to surface.
The Swedish authorities have stated that Nyambu had mental/psychological problems at the time of the double murder but what could have contributed to this illness? In Stockholm, Nyambu had the characteristics of any normal, law abiding and ambitious young mother of two pretty children whom she loved so much. If she was really that mentally ill, why didn’t anybody raise the alarm? Is it possible that a mental illness that leads a mother to murder her two innocent children could go unnoticed when the subject is a well-known personality within a vibrant community such as that of Kenyans in Stockholm?
Nyambu had numerous friends; was Facebooking regularly; and partying at every opportunity. Does any of her acquaintances know the exact point when she became sick? How did the Swedish authorities miss the strong signals that something was amiss with Nyambu? When she failed to take her kids to school, how comes that the system, known to be very protective of children, did not notice anything? Is there anybody who needs to take responsibility for this tragedy or should everybody walk away scot free?
A series of contacts have said that when she returned from a trip to Kenya last May, she was not the same person. What happened in Kenya that radically altered her personality to an extent that she could murder her two children “as the only way out”? Could Kenyans in Stockholm be habouring another Nyambu waiting to turn psychotic before taking the lives of innocent children? In casting the Nyambu case under the microscope, these are some of the key questions whose answers are being sought with great urgency.
Apart from the newspaper reports based on court proceedings, what else is known about this tragic story that has captured the imagination of millions of readers world-wide? Naturally, and as the facts are rolled out in court, the Swedish media is likely to focus on the sensational aspects of the case but what are the other hard facts that are not seeing the light of day but that may be pieced together to help understand this tragedy? It is in cataloguing these facts that KSB seeks to intervene.
Secret trip to Sweden
When she arrived in Sweden in 2004, Nyambu’s parents did not actually know where she was because she was somehow smuggled out of Kenya by a woman who lived in Stockholm and who brought her here. According to information obtained from Nyambu’s mother, the family searched for her everywhere for two solid days without success. After four days, Nyambu called her mom and told her that she was in Sweden.
Nyambu also advised that the family should “take care of Tevin until she got her papers in order and got a job in Sweden”. The mother said that she did not know why Nyambu chose to come to Sweden and added that what she knew was that cash that Nyambu had saved “was paid to a man who took her and a friend to Sweden”. The mother told investigators that at the time she left Kenya, Nyambu was working in the Hotel industry after going through her education.
What is unclear is why Nyambu’s trip to Sweden was kept a top secret from her parents who were in fact taking care of her new baby. Why would a young girl travelling abroad hide such news from parents? If room could be allowed for speculation, could Nyambu have been afraid that her parents could have blocked her trip to Sweden because she had a young baby who needed to be taken care of? In a telephone conversation with her mom, Nyambu did reveal part of her reasons for leaving Kenya.
As she threw more light into the Nyambu mystery, her mom was told by police that as the mother of the suspect, she was free not to give information and that whatever information she wanted to give would be given out of her own volition. The mother told police that when Nyambu called from her new base in Sweden, she said that she had left Kenya “because she was angry about what had resulted in her being pregnant” with Tevin. What happened?
Where is Tevin’s father?
According to what Nyambu’s mother told investigators, Nyambu’s first born child, Tevin, was born out of wedlock while Nyambu herself admitted during interrogations that she did not know Tevin’s father. While this situation is fairly normal and acceptable under certain circumstances in Kenya, the tragic twist in the tale is that Tevin was conceived under traumatic circumstances that could have haunted any ordinary young girl for life. Why?
Speaking through a translator to Ann-Christine Sanden, a police woman, Nyambu’s mom said that one day in 2002, Nyambu went out with some friends and during their excursion, they were attacked by a gang of boys who drugged and raped them. The mom said that after this experience, “Nyambu became pregnant”.
Probably scared and not knowing what to do, Nyambu never disclosed to her parents the tragic news that she had been raped. It was after seven months of pregnancy and when her tummy began to swell that she broke the news about her tragic experience at the hands of a gang of marauding boys who appeared to have inflicted irreparable damage to an innocent girl. When she was 5-6 months pregnant, Nyambu quit her job because she was not feeling well although she never told her parents what was troubling her. The parents did not know either that Nyambu was pregnant at the time she quit her job.
The gospel according to Siprosa
The above narrative about Tevin’s unwelcome conception changes abruptly as a new character enters the scene. In Kenya-Stockholm, there is a Kenyan woman who was very close to Nyambu as she underwent multiple tribulations. This woman is known to have helped very many Kenyans with different problems. She is kind hearted, very generous and extremely sympathetic especially when a subject is in difficulty. However, she has a double personality because when things are working out, she can be exceptionally wonderful but when things go wrong between you and her, she can be nasty, destructive, malicious and bad news. We will call her Siprosa.
Because of her close proximity to Nyambu, whatever she says about Nyambu carries considerable weight. Commenting at KSB, Nyambu once said that she could have preferred Siprosa as her biological mother following serious disagreements with her own mother after she returned from Kenya in May last year.
Siprosa adds a fresh angle to Tevin’s parentage because according to what she told police, Tevin’s father actually lives in Juja in Kenya. In fact, it is Siprosa who gives the first clue that may explain the altercations between Nyambu and her mom, a clue which she links to Tevin. Siprosa told police that following the birth of Tevin, Nyambu’s mom “never accepted Tevin’s father. Tevin’s father never got to associate with his son”, Siprosa told investigators who were seeking to dig into the circumstances.
While adding additional information about Tevin’s father, Siprosa said that the missing dad “worked as a conductor in a bus which plied between Nyambu’s home and Juja”, a local shopping center in Kenya. During the funeral of the two kids in October last year, some Kenyans were questioning the whereabouts of Tevin’s father but according to what Siprosa told investigators, the Kikuyu culture dictated that Tevin’s father could not be contacted because he had nothing to do with the son before the son’s death. In any case, it is Kikuyu tradition that in the event of a divorce, the mother has to take the children and own them forever.
Assuming that the gospel according to Siprosa’s is nothing but the truth, the implication is that both Nyambu and her mom were lying about the identity or whereabouts of Tevin’s father and the circumstances under which Tevin was born. If Nyambu’s mom did not like Tevin’s dad as Siprosa said bluntly, then it follows that she must have known him or knew that he existed. It is unlikely that Siprosa could have obtained the scanty information about Tevin’s father from anybody other than Nyambu who regarded her as her “new mother”. Did Nyambu tell Siprosa the truth about Tevin’s father but lied to her parents because of some inexplicable reason? If Nyambu’s mom knew Tevin’s dad, why did she tell police that Tevin was the product of rape by a gang of youths? For now, we rest the matter there.
“Nyambu was brainwashed”
Whatever the case, what is known is that Nyambu’s mother does not like Siprosa because she believed that Siprosa may have contributed in further alienating her daughter from her through what she called “brainwashing”.
Speaking to investigators, Nyambu’s mom said that “Siprosa is a person Nyambu met in Sweden” and that Siprosa had “brainwashed Nyambu”. When questioned further as to what she meant by “brainwashed”, the mother said that Siprosa “is the main reason why Nyambu started despising her (the mom) and her family”. Further, the mom said that Siprosa “should have told Nyambu not to discuss her parents with other people and write negative things about them in Kenya Stockholm Blog”.
The mother also told police that she was not happy that Nyambu had left her kids alone in Sweden during her last trip to Kenya. When Nyambu said that she had left them with Siprosa, Nyambu’s mom “became angry because she did not know who Siprosa was”.
Paradoxically, it is Siprosa who openly teamed up with a former boyfriend of Nyambu to spread propaganda that KSB’s commentators were responsible for driving Nyambu to kill her kids. The storo continues …
Okoth Osewe
About the Author
Thanks Osewe for the details. It is a shocking narrative, to say the least. I now begin to understand how helpless Nyambu was in controlling many issues that surrounded her.
Siprosa is tricky and is known to love nobody but herself. She has broken many homes by snatching other women’s husbands.
I humbly request you to post links to parts 1-3, I seem not to have read them.
KSB: This has been done. Check end of part 4.
So Tevin was born out of a tragic rape encounter. Nyambu kept her pregnancy secret and when she gave birth, disappeared to Sweden leaving him with her family in Kenya. She told the police that she did not know Tevin’s father, while Siprosa said he is a bus conductor in Juja. Without disputing the rape angle, I would say that Nyambu’s mom preferred not to acknowledge the presence of Tevin’s dad because he is a lowly employed man, a manamba.She must have been ashamed of having her grandchild linked to a father whose work is regarded lowly.
The Road to Double Murder:
Part One: http://kenyastockholm.com/2011/10/02/tragedy-in-kenya-stockholm-the-road-to-double-murder-part-1/#comments
Part Two: http://kenyastockholm.com/2011/10/02/tragedy-in-kenya-stockholm-the-road-to-double-murder-part-2/#comments
Part Three: http://kenyastockholm.com/2011/10/13/the-road-to-double-murder-part-3/#comments
According to infomation from Nyambu herself she told me that Tevins dad live in juja n they met when Nyambu was at usiu university n when she knew that she was pregnant she moved in with him until the birth of the late Tevin. When she gave birth at thika hospital the father to her son came n visited them there bt then he never came back n that’s when the mum came n cleared the hospital bill n took her home!! Soo many contradicting stories about the father of this late boy!!
KSB: We welcome further insight as the storo unravels. From your addition, and given that Nyambu spoke to you, it can be assumed that Tevin’s dad is well known and that the rape storo was a cover. Establishing the facts about Tevin’s dad is important because it could change perceptions. Going by your addition, Nyambu was not a victim of rape but a victim of an unwanted pregnancy. She told you that Tevin’s dad lived in Juja and this is what she appears to have told Siprosa so readers could as well settle for Tevin’s dad as a Juja guy. We can only hope for further additions.
Whenever I read this story again…I can’t help feeling a sharp pain piercing through my heart…Mental illness or not,no woman can push her OWN kids into a lake,and stand there and hear screams and not do ANYTHING,she is a devil!!If she was really mentally ill,she would have jumped into the water too.The fact that she admits that she was too scared to jump into the water confirms she was of sound-mind,I do not even know why they are wasting time arraigning her for court proceedings,ship the she-devil to Langata Prison!!!
Worse still,even if her own mother treated her like shit,even if she had a rough childhood,why the hell would she kill her own children??I mean,seriously?????
Anyone who sympathises with this devil of a woman needs to think..and think again…I would rather sympathise with women who leave their children at other peoples’ doorsteps..or sell them,than PUSH your own kids into a lake,and stand there,hearing on eof them scream..and DO NOTHING???Good grief,I wish I could be given power to punish her!!!!
It is beyond a shawdow of doubt that Nyambu had and still has psychological issues to deal with which were deeply entrenched in her sub-consciousness, arising from adolescent experiences originating from the onset of pregnancy with her first born child. One can then deduce that her mother and her husband handled the pregnancy and aftermath extremely badly, perhaps imposing harsh disciplinary measures to drive home their displeasure at having a pregnant teenager in the family. Moreover if memory serves me right, Nyambu is the first born in the family and has a younger sister and therefore the mother must have felt it necessary to resort to extreme measures in the name of discipline as to deter the younger sister from a similar fate. I can only imagine the resentment, hate and anger Nyambu must have felt towards the adults in the family at this point in her life when she most needed their understanding and support. Frankly speaking this is a common occurrence in many Kenyan families where teenage daughters have been ostracized for falling pregnant and bringing shame upon them. The stigmatization that results encompasses everyone in the family and they feel they have been exposed to social ridicule. This must have left deep scars in her and can partly explain her shifting personality traits, from one extreme to the other. Moreover it is more than likely Nyambu has come to the conclusion that the treatment meted out to her over the years by her family is justified since she has now proved them right by murdering her own children. This will most regrettably push her over the abyss into insanity, if it has not already happened.
To further complicate matters, long comes Siprosa offering the understanding, support and unconditional acceptance that has eluded Nyambu for so long denied to her by those that are naturally the safe haven in stormy times, her parents and siblings. Siprosa’s motives and reasons for being Nyambu’s confidant and her usurping the position of surrogate mother are suspect given her tract record, but the bottom line is that she has been there for her. Nyambu’s mother on the other hand would naturally consider Siprosa’s role in her daughter’s life as suspect, and cry brainwashing since she was and still is unwilling to be the bastion of strength her daughter needs. Her statements to the press and residents in Stockholm reveal that she is not prepared to shoulder responsibility, even in part, for the confusion and despair that exists in her daughter’s mind today. Their attitude is all to plain to see and have probably already written of their wayward and psychotic daughter as beyond redemption. Nyambu will have to emotionally fend for herself just as she always has.
What I have written is pure conjecture and should not be regarded as the gospel truth, but my attempt to bringing clarity to very tragic events and illuminate the need, no requirement for always being our brother’s keeper.
When was Grace at USIU because this is what she wrote at Graduates.com:
Schools Attended
1994 Roysambu Primary School (110)
1998 Mirithu Girls School (136)
2001 Kenya School Of Professional Studies (Ksps)
http://www.graduates.com/(F(KZHylbzrmROj4bgtnLe0ArbmZAwC7_NVz9e73fKvIa1aIyIneleE7oD6izB7NGbFNQdd0clownLYAx6U8R0mlOgf74hqQcpzEJOELuNzDltk5RsTR-9o7kLG_mvyGGBG2JFkAhHOLEJarCXfZQSvZwFvav5LF7uxpJbN0SXW8cPvVG5nJxKFu2sm1yNiRFVy_XqH2I2HzMxflIQ4fMqYFCs3RRE1))/vg.aspx?i=2670755
O. Hatari you have summarized Nyambu’s tragic background so well. Her mother did a lot to frustrate her,especially after getting Tevin.Mama could not accept Tevin’s dad who´m she saw as a Chokoraa.
I know this little girl
Her name is Maxine
Her beauty is
Like a bunch of rose
If I ever tell you ´bout Maxine
You would a say
I don´t know what I know
(But)
Murder she wrote
(Fi real fi real)
Murder she wrote
Murder she wrote
Murder she wrote
Watch ya now, it name
A pretty face and bad character
Dem the kinda livin
Can´t hold Chaka (Follow me)
A pretty face
And bad character
Dem the kinda livin´
Can´t hold Chaka
Seh gal yuh pretty
Yuh face it pretty
But yuh character dirty
Gal yuh just act too flirty flirty
Yuh run to Tom, Dick
An´ also Harry
An when yuh find yuh mistake
Yuh talk bout yuh sorry
Sorry, sorry (Come now)
Have her (cruise) di corner
Where she jooks an where she jam
She know about Lou
Crack an every money man
Me talk about coolie chiney
White Man and Indian
Di wickedest kind a girl
Whey Mr. Pliers buk upon
Now when yuh heard
About this girl
Her name is Maxine
Her beauty is like
A bunch of rose (But)
If I ever tell you bout Maxine
You would a say
I don´t know what I know (but)
Murder she wrote
(Murderation man)
Murder she wrote
Murder she wrote
(Na na na)
Murder she wrote
What a road Nyambu followed, full of bumps and potholes…. But why murder her flesh and blood?
I agree with you Kaka2. I have known Grace since she came to Sweden and that was the exact story she told me. Tevins Dad was a makanga and she got pregnant while she was still in USIU and yes she went to Thika hospital to have the baby and that was the last time she was in contact with him. This rape case is shocking!!! And she was not smuggled to Sweden as alleged, the woman who invited her is the mother to her sister Carol’s husband and she did this out of good will i.e for Grace to make a better life for her and her son unfortunately they fell out due to ujuaji ya Grace, if you knew Grace she can be quite a character, but to be honest if she turned to the lady regarding her situation i beleive 100% she would have gotten help.
Nyambu was an unwanted child herself…and maybe her own mother also..Nyambu klarade inte att “bryta mönster” då är det hennes pojkar som fick betala högsta priset..kanske om dom hade levt hade Sverige hjälpt dem att bryta familj mönster som kanske sitter i deras gener.
k
And another thing i forgot she said that she was born from her mother’s previous relationship and for this reason her mother treated her differently from her other siblings.
Nyambu went to the Kenya School of Professional Studies and not USIU.she covered a lot of her dirty background when she came to Sweden in the hope of beginning a new life but her past could not escape her actions later.
a murderer is a murderer.how could Nyambu claim to have been helpless in Sweden when all the help she needed was within her municipality?
What did one expect from a woman with such a weird history? She borrowed so much money carelessly and dumped her children with Siprosa the devil as she ran off to Kenya. She resigned from work when denied leave, then selfishly shut her children from school. She was just an irresponsible person who wanted to live on the Swedish system. This is the punishment,.
A Diabolical woman, this Siprosa. She also snatches Kenyan children from their mothers.
I believe that this woman isn’t sick……she’s a cold hearted murderer. I am a mother of a 2 yr old myself and i wouldn’t think of harming my child. She is my pride and joy. No matter how much she disobeys me and gets me upset murdering her wouldn’t even be in the back of my mind. Children are the most innocent beings in the world and all they want is love and nurturing. Women are no different from men…if men murder their children they are murderers..not sick…..and if women murder their children they are also murderers….not sick. They need to go to jail for life without parole and or get the death penalty. You take a life you give your life.
The following are reasons of why a mother kills her child:
THE CHILD IS UNWANTED
OUT OF MERCY
AS A RESULT OF MENTAL ILLNESS
RETALIATION AGAINST A SPOUSE
AS A RESULT OF ABUSE
TO PUNISH THEMSELVES
TO “ERASE” IN ORDER TO PERSUE A RELATIONSHIP
ANGRY AT THEMSELVES OR TO DESTROY WHAT THEY HAVE CREATED.
Nyambu was not serious. She quit her job without a reason and got into heavy alcohol consumption. Her social behaviour was questionable especially her dirty abusive language.
Osewe, Thank you very much. This is why I love you. This is really what I need – the truth however bitter. Keep it up!
Thank you Bwana Osewe, Kenyans needs to know
the truth, and this is the time for it. Osewe please dont stop till you get it all out!
KSB: Thanks. The truth usually tends to set people free.
By the way this Nyambu and Siprosa have alot in common dirty abusive language,
– Siprosa, husband /children snatcher and a brainwasher
– Nyambu, children killer
This two women have no second thoughts – they are devils!
Nyambu pretended to be a high class woman kumbe was having a makanga boyfriend in Kenya
Where are the Christians who were with Nyambu in 2009 when she got saved and confessed before a congregation?
Ndugu Osewe I have read this three times and remain shocked at Nyambu’s history.Life sucks sometimes.
Osewe nakuogopa. hii blogu yako hailali. no other Kenyan in Scandinavia has an active blog like yours.From this to that, yaani umetupa wikendi ya habari kwa topics mbali mbali for breakfast, lunch and supper.You have saved me from going out in the cold by making KSB informative.Bwana thanks a lot for your hard work.Huyu Nyambu angefungwa taka taka yeye, aliwauwa watoto bila sababu.huu ujunga wa Waswidi eti hawezi fungwa jela is unfair.many women suffer in Africa but they never kill their children because they have given up.
Nyambu’s nose needs to be pinched for being stupid! now she is growing fat from being pumped with medicine.she will end up being a zombie.
Many commentators seem to think that Nyambu is 100% normal. That she was and is capable of reasoning as clearly as you and me at this particular moment. The woman is mentally disturbed! She has diminished reasoning capacity and I do not think anyone commenting on KSB has the credentials to diagnose her mental illness. What I am saying is this; If you met a naked person that was not in their right senses, yani wazimu, you cannot convince that person otherwise. Same case applies for Nyambu. She can weep and say that what she did was terrible but I think that she is yet to realize exactly what she has done. Baying for her blood does not paint a picture of one being humane, but places you right next to her. I can imagine there are those who would not hesitate to put a rubber tire around her and set her on fire, burn her. We are still doing it to those suspected to be witches and pickpockets aren’t we? If we cannot recognize and understand what it is to be mentally sick, who will we go and demand retribution against? People with physical disabilities, why not albinos or cross-eyed people? Get my point?
Nyambu’s actions were horrific and inexcusable. But she should receive the best medical treatment available and it is not up to us to judge and condemn the mentally challenged. She will have to make peace with herself and society sooner or later, and answer to her maker.
Nyambu was capable of reasoning. A guilty mind means an intention to commit some wrongful act, and Nyambu has this. Murder in the first degree is based on intent and Nyambu meditated on this. Malice is a required element of murder and Nyambu intended to harm her children.
The fact that she could not go ahead and throw herself too into the water means the cogs in her brain were turning fast and pretty well. She was capable of reasoning, that is why she immediately called the father of Elias and reported them missing. She was worried psychotic liar. But also her concern was her self-preservation. That sounds like a very sane person to me.
Her sociopathic behaviors of not blending well with others and personality disorders are not and should not legally be considered insanity, because of the fact and belief belief that these are the result of free will.