Grief turned into fury in Nyeri town after the body of Tamara Blessing, a young girl, who had been reported missing over the weekend, was discovered brutally murdered and buried inside a trolley pusher’s house.

Tamara, whose missing posters had been widely shared online, was last seen at the bustling new open air market. Her disappearance prompted widespread concern and frantic searches. That search ended in tragedy when her body was exhumed from the suspect’s home, revealing she had been raped, murdered and secretly buried.

“This is not just a murder. This is femicide. A girl was hunted and killed,” said a visibly shaken local resident, Miriam Wanjiku. “We are tired. We are scared. We are angry.”

The suspect, a man who carry or push goods for a living—was immediately arrested. The body was taken to the Nyeri mortuary, where a post-mortem is scheduled to determine the full extent of the violence.

But justice feels distant to many. Outraged by what they call a broken system, hundreds of residents flooded the streets of Nyeri, demanding the suspect be handed over to them.

“Tumechoka!” (We are tired!) protesters chanted as tensions escalated. Police responded with tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd, but the unrest continued late into the evening.

Online, the outcry was just as fierce. “Tamara Blessing. We speak your name. We remember you,” Njeri Wa Migwi, the founder and CEO of Usikimye, wrote. Another added, “We must end femicide. We must create a Kenya where women and girls can exist without fear.”

“This is not an isolated case. It is part of a deadly pattern,” said a spokesperson for a local women’s rights group. “Kenya must act now. Tamara’s life mattered. Her story must not end here.”