Homa Bay, Kenya – The academic community is mourning the tragic death of Prof. Thomas Tonny Onyango Mboya, an Associate Professor at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), who was murdered on Tuesday morning in Waware village, Suba North Sub-county, following a violent land dispute.
Prof. Mboya, Director of TUK’s School of Mathematics and Statistics, was attacked while placing beacons on contested land. His father, Wilson Onyango Opanga, sustained deep panga cuts and is fighting for his life at a Homa Bay hospital.
According to police and eyewitnesses, the assailants, believed to be Prof. Mboya’s own brothers, stormed the site armed with pangas after a court ruling ordered one of them to demolish structures built on the disputed parcel. Enraged by the order, one suspect reportedly beheaded Prof. Mboya before turning on his father.
The attackers fled as residents raised an alarm, escaping a mob that attempted to pursue them. By the time police arrived, the suspects had already disappeared.
Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo condemned the killing, describing it as senseless. “The murder of Professor Thomas Mboya of Rusinga Island is unfortunate. Violence never sorts out issues. May the killer and any persons who may have aided or abetted in his death be brought to book,” she said.
Prof. Mboya, born in 1970, had an illustrious academic career. After completing his O-Levels at Kokuro Secondary School and A-Levels at Homa Bay High School, he pursued a Bachelor of Education (Science) at Egerton University, graduating in 1993.
He later earned a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Nairobi in 1999 and a PhD in Inverse and Ill-posed Problems from the University of Leeds in 2008.
He lectured at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa before joining TUK in 2012, where he rose to become a Senior Lecturer, Head of Department, and later Associate Professor. He was widely respected for his contribution to mathematics and mentorship of young scholars.
The attack has shocked the academic fraternity, with colleagues and students describing him as a dedicated educator and researcher.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, urging the public to provide any information that could lead to their arrest.
For now, Prof. Mboya’s death has laid bare the deadly consequences of unresolved land disputes in Kenya, turning what should have been a civil process into a brutal tragedy.
