A cloud of grief hangs over Eldoret after the sudden death of Winnie Jelagat, a 21 year-old student at Eldoret National Polytechnic, was found lifeless in her rented room at Teleview Estate on Thursday evening.
The laboratory science student is suspected to have died following a self-induced abortion that went tragically wrong. Neighbours say they grew worried after she failed to step out for hours. When they finally forced their way in, they found her lying still on the floor, her phone clutched in one hand, as though she had tried, in her final moments, to call for help.
Police officers later recovered a basin filled with blood and suspected foetal tissue, painting a grim picture of her last hours. Preliminary reports suggest Winnie bled heavily before collapsing.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi confirmed the incident and urged young people in distress to seek professional medical assistance instead of resorting to unsafe methods.
For classmates and friends, the news has been difficult to bear. To them, Winnie was a bright student, a friend with a quick smile, and someone who had dreams far beyond the lecture halls. Now, instead of celebrating her future, they are left piecing together the painful silence of her absence.
Her death also reignites the wider conversation on reproductive health in Kenya, where abortion remains criminalized except under limited circumstances. Advocacy groups argue that unsafe procedures continue to claim the lives of young women, often in secrecy, often in shame.
As investigations continue, Winnie’s family, friends, and school community are left grappling with the weight of unanswered questions and the heartbreak of a life cut short.
