A family in Kasarani is demanding answers following the mysterious death of 21-year-old Margaret Wambui, whose body was discovered after she reportedly fell from the 22nd floor of an apartment building in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area.
Wambui, who was undertaking an internship at a nearby hotel, left her home at around 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, telling her family she was heading to work.
However, relatives say she never arrived at her workplace. Investigators have since established that she entered Altura Apartments at about 10:00 p.m., where she is believed to have gone to the rooftop before the incident occurred.
The family said they only learnt of the tragedy after one of Wambui’s friends raised concern when repeated calls to her phone went unanswered.
Recalling the moment she received the distressing information, Wambui’s mother, Wangari Gathogo, said,
“She told me that she couldn’t reach her and that she felt very uneasy, sensing that her friend was not okay. She then told me that when she tried calling Wambui’s phone, it was answered by someone else who told her to look for her family members so they could go to the DCI Kilimani office.”
According to preliminary findings, Wambui briefly stopped at the apartment’s reception before proceeding to the rooftop, where she is believed to have been taking photographs.
Sources indicated that a security guard saw her taking pictures but was away briefly and did not witness what happened next.
A relative, Muigai Gathogo, questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident, saying investigators informed the family that Wambui may have either fallen or jumped from the building.
“The DCI officer I found there told me they were informed that the child fell from the top of the building or threw herself down either she accidentally fell or jumped. There was no secured crime scene, but the child’s body had already been taken and is currently at the City Mortuary,” he said.
Her body was later found within a neighbouring compound, while her handbag containing her mobile phone, work uniform and other personal belongings remained on the rooftop.
The discovery has deepened the family’s concerns, especially because they believe she had been using her phone to take photographs shortly before her death.
The family has dismissed claims that Wambui may have taken her own life and is calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.
“We want to know whether she was pushed, whether she jumped, whether she was killed inside a room, or what exactly happened so that we can get justice for our child. If she had done any wrong, we should be told,” Muigai said.
Her mother also insisted that Wambui had shown no signs of emotional distress before leaving home that evening.
“She didn’t have any stress at all. She would just come home, sleep, wake up when it was time to go to work in the evening, and leave. She didn’t have any issues,” Wangari said.
Detectives attached to Kilimani Police Station have launched investigations and are expected to examine CCTV footage from the apartment building to reconstruct Wambui’s final movements.
Her body is being preserved at the Nairobi Funeral Home, where a post-mortem examination is expected to provide further insight into the cause of her death as investigators work to establish exactly what happened.
