A family in Kasarani is demanding answers following the mysterious death of their 21-year-old daughter, Margaret Wambui, who died after falling from the 22nd floor of an apartment building in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area.
Wambui, who was undertaking an internship at a hotel in Upper Hill, is reported to have accessed Altura Apartments at about 10:00 p.m. on Saturday before her body was discovered in a neighbouring compound minutes later.
According to her family, Wambui had left home at around 7:00 p.m., informing them that she was heading to her workplace for her internship. However, they say there is no indication that she ever arrived at the hotel.
The family’s ordeal began after one of Wambui’s friends called them expressing concern after repeatedly failing to reach her.
“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,” recalled Wambui’s mother, Wangari Gathogo.
Seeking answers, family members later visited Altura Apartments, where investigators believe Wambui had gone shortly before her death.
Preliminary reports indicate that she entered the building, briefly visited the reception area and later proceeded to the rooftop on the 22nd floor, where she is believed to have been taking photographs.
Sources familiar with the investigation say a security guard stationed on the rooftop saw Wambui taking photos but did not witness the incident because he had briefly stepped away to use the washroom.
“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,” said Muigai Gathogo, a relative of the deceased.
Police recovered Wambui’s handbag on the rooftop, containing her mobile phone, work uniform and other personal belongings.
The discovery has raised further questions for the family, who say it is difficult to understand how her phone remained inside the bag despite reports that she had been using it to take photographs moments before the incident.
The family has firmly dismissed suggestions that Wambui may have taken her own life and is calling for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding her death.
Detectives have launched investigations as they seek to determine what transpired in the moments leading to the fatal fall.
