The family of an 18-year-old Mombasa woman and HAKI Africa, a human rights and social justice organization based in Mombasa, has appealed to the public for information that could help trace her, four days after she went missing while running an errand in the town.
Hope Blessing Nzessi was last seen on Sunday, August 23, after leaving her home to buy food from a café at Mwembe Tayari. Her mother, Carolyne Rita Mutua, said she has been unable to reach her daughter since then and that Hope’s phone was switched off shortly afterwards.
Speaking during a press briefing outside the Central Police Station in Mombasa on Tuesday, Mutua said Hope has a hearing impairment and is often seen wearing large headphones to shield herself from noise.
She said Hope does not have a national identity card and is her only child, making her disappearance particularly distressing for the family.
Mutua said a man who called her and introduced himself to her as a volunteer later contacted her, claiming that Hope’s phone needed recharging and that money was required for that purpose.
She said the phone was subsequently taken to a house, where she heard raised voices during follow-up calls.
Mutua said she became increasingly concerned and reported the matter to police in the early hours of Monday.
“My daughter is missing. I don’t understand what has happened since Sunday, but I am hopeful I will find her,” Mutua said.
Mathias Shipeta, HAKI Africa’s Rapid Response Officer, said the organisation had taken up the family’s case and was pushing police to treat the matter with urgency rather than as a routine missing-person case.
“Our call is to the police to investigate and establish where Hope is. We are appealing to members of the public—anyone with information relating to this girl should come forward, whether she is in a hospital or elsewhere,” Shipeta said.
He called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Hope’s disappearance, including tracing the last known movements of her mobile phone.
Shipeta said missing-person cases sometimes fail to receive adequate attention and urged security agencies to respond promptly to reports involving vulnerable individuals.
By Joan Kinuthia
