BY MH Reporter
A number of people, mostly women, have died after falling from the balconies of building in Nairobi and surrounding areas.
The deaths have raised questions among Kenyans – especially because the deaths have all involved young men and women.
Mwanahjabari.co.ke looks at some of the lives that were cut short following what has been described as a ‘fall from the balcony’.
1. Ms Fridah Warau Kamuyu – Aged 22
Fridah drowned in a dam in Juja, Kiambu County, alongside a male companion.
Based on her Social media, she seems to have led a happy life on social media.
She drowned after their vehicle plunged into the dam on January 17, 2023. She was a bright student and had just cleared her university studies and was looking for a job when she died.
2. Catherine Njeri
Ms Njeri died after falling from the seventh floor of a building in Gacharage village, Kiambu County.
Some five people said to have been with deceased at a party that night are in police custody as the police tried to find out what may have happened.
At the time of her death, Njeri was a student at the Kenya Institute of Management.
Reports indicate that she had gone to the rooftop of the building with a man said to be the boyfriend of one of the girls at the party. It is not clear what happened that led to her fall.
The building caretaker said he heard something fall with a thud, and on checking it out he saw human body lying on concrete.
The girl is said to have left the house where the party was happening at around 9:30 pm in the company of her friend’s boyfriend and went to the rooftop.
Reports indicate that there was a struggle – before she fell. It is however not clear what the struggle was about.
3. Brenda Kawira Gitonga – Age 29 years
Brenda fell to her death in February 2023, a 29-year-old woman, identified as Brenda Kawira Gitonga, plunged to her death from the fourth floor of her apartment in Kasarani.
Reports indicate that she fell after an argument with her boyfriend.
The boyfriend claimed that she stormed out of their house, ran to the balcony and threw herself to the ground.
The incident happened on February 21, 2023, at 11.30pm. At the time of her death, Brenda was due to travel to Australia to study on a scholarship.
4. Kaisy Koech – Age 22 years
Koech died on April 2, 2023 after she allegedly fell while inside a friend’s bathroom – inside a house in Kilimani, Nairobi.
Koech was attending a house party on the fateful morning.
According to witnesses, Ms. Koech had excused herself to take a shower.
They would later hear a thud coming from the bathroom.
They tried to call her, but she did not respond. Forcing them to break the bathroom door.
They found her on the floor holding the shower pipe in her right hand, and had bruises on the chest and finger.
She died.
5. Joy Achieng Aoko
Aoko died on Monday, February 13, 2023 while undergoing treatment at the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Aoko was medically evacuated to Kenya on January 25 from Albania by the government after she was reportedly raped and assaulted leaving her in a coma.
She had travelled to Albania on February 14, 2022, and began working as a croupier in a casino.
Reports indicate that she was found unconscious under the building where she lived in bad shape.
A medical report showed she suffered fractures and internal bleeding.
6. June Jerop Kangogo – Age 37 years
June was an accountant at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA). She went missing on March 18.
Her body was discovered in Jamhuri area two days later. A postmortem revealed she was stabbed in the chest.
Reports indicate that she was in charge of the vote account, a powerful section in the accounts department.
Her boyfriend is among three people who were arrested in connection with the murder.