Joy Wanjiru Gathigia, the 16-year-old Kenya High School student whose disappearance sparked concern, has been found alive after being missing for nearly six weeks.
Joy, a Form Three student, disappeared on April 1, 2026, after leaving school for the Easter holiday.
According to her family, her brother Denis Muhoro picked her up from Kenya High School at around 10am and escorted her to the 2NK Sacco matatu stage in Nairobi CBD, where she boarded a matatu heading to Nyeri at approximately 11am.
However, she never made it to school.
Her mother, Esther Githigia, said the matatu driver later confirmed that they arrived in Nyeri town at about 2:30pm, but Joy failed to alight at her usual Skuta stage, located a few kilometres from Nyeri town.
Instead, she reportedly proceeded to Nyeri town, a move that puzzled her family and raised alarm.
The mystery deepened after some of her belongings were recovered under suspicious circumstances.
Her first bag was found near River Ragati, while another bag containing her school uniform was later discovered in Karatina near the railway station.
Investigators also obtained CCTV footage showing Joy at around 6:37pm in the Saigoni area near River Ragati walking towards Karatina town while carrying a bag.
In another clip captured just minutes later, she was seen walking with an unidentified man towards the Ragati River bridge.
That became the last confirmed sighting before she vanished.
The case triggered widespread concern, with social media users joining the family in appeals for information that could help trace her.
Railway Location Chief Dadson Ithiru coordinated search efforts in Karatina as the search intensified over the weeks.
Joy has now been found alive, bringing relief to her family and Kenyans who closely followed the case.
Authorities have not yet publicly disclosed where she had been or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance during the six-week period.
