EABL brand manager Lilian Nyambura found alive after missing for eight days

EABL Brand Manager Lilian Nyambura Mbugua who went missing from her home in Murang’a on December 23, 2024. She was found alive and well on December 31. (Photo: Handout)

By Lucy Mumbi
Tuesday, December 31, 2024

After being found, she was immediately taken to a nearby health centre, where medical personnel noted that she appeared “disturbed”.

After eight days of searching, the family of East African Breweries Limited (EABL) Brand Manager Lilian Nyambura Mbugua has finally located her.

The 28-year-old woman, who had been missing since December 23, 2024, was found alive and well on December 31, according to Murang’a South Deputy County Commissioner Gitonga Murungi.

According to her family, Nyambura, who had disappeared from her family home in Gikono, Murang’a County, was found at a filling station in Maragua town, Murang’a. Her family described her as being weak and confused when she was found.

“She was weak and confused. She says she found herself at the filling station and asked the attendants to call her mother,” a relative said.

She was immediately taken to a nearby health centre, where medical personnel noted that she appeared “disturbed”.

“She is set to be taken to Nairobi for further medical attention as police continue to investigate the incident,” the relative added.

Mbugua had travelled to her mother’s home for the Christmas holidays on December 21. The family spent time together, attending church on Sunday, December 22, and having breakfast and lunch the following day, December 23.

However, later that afternoon, around 5 pm, she left the house for what seemed like a brief evening stroll.

Lilian had left behind her mobile phones, car keys, laptop, house keys, and identification documents, further heightening the family’s concern.

“It seemed like an ordinary walk around the estate. Her mother was doing house chores in the backyard and didn’t think much of it,” a relative said.

Her family was concerned when she did not return and reported her missing at the Gikono Police Post the following day. The case was later escalated to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenol.

On Sunday, police said they faced challenges in locating her due to the lack of devices that could help track her movements.

“It is a hard inquiry because if we had a phone we could track or a known motor vehicle we could trace, it would be easier to narrow down our lines of investigation,” said Constable Patrick Maina of Gikono Police Post.