The killing of a first-year university student in Juja has resurfaced as one of the most chilling cases of intimate partner violence among young people, after a court found her boyfriend guilty of orchestrating her death and attempting to cover it up as an accident.
Faith Vicky Owuor, a student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), died in July 2014 after a fire broke out in the hostel room she shared with her boyfriend, Marcel Jumanne Dalance, at Alpha House near the campus.
At the time, Dalance claimed the fire was caused by an electrical fault.
However, investigators quickly grew suspicious, with forensic findings and witness accounts contradicting his version of events.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing that the fire had been deliberately set.
A key piece of evidence was a distress message Faith reportedly sent to a friend shortly before the incident, suggesting she feared for her safety.
“The evidence placed before this court points to a deliberate act,” the presiding judge noted in the ruling. “The accused’s explanation of an accidental fire does not hold when weighed against the totality of the facts.”
The court heard that the couple had been in a relationship and were living together off-campus — a common arrangement among university students in the area.
However, underlying tensions are believed to have contributed to the fatal incident, although the exact trigger of the conflict was not fully established in court.
Faith’s death sent shockwaves through the JKUAT community, raising concerns about student safety in private hostels and the risks associated with domestic disputes among young couples living away from parental supervision.
Dalance was ultimately found guilty of murder, with the court concluding that he played a direct role in causing the fire that led to Faith’s death.
His initial attempt to present the incident as accidental was dismissed as a calculated effort to evade responsibility.
“This was not an unfortunate accident, but a criminal act,” the court ruled, underscoring the gravity of the offence.
The case remains a stark reminder of the growing concern over gender-based violence and intimate partner killings in Kenya, particularly among young people in learning institutions.
In recent years, similar incidents have continued to be reported, prompting renewed calls for stronger intervention measures, awareness campaigns, and support systems for victims at risk.
Faith Vicky Owuor’s death, more than a decade later, still stands as a tragic example of how relationship conflicts can escalate into fatal violence — and the urgent need for vigilance, accountability, and protection for vulnerable individuals.