- New evidence emerged amid the ongoing investigation into the death of Lorna Kathambi, a student at Daystar University
- A DCI officer who was probing the incident detailed to the court how Kathambi met her death during a party with other students
- The students were released after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions pronounced what the next step the case would be
Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features in digital and print media.
Nairobi: A Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer who was investigating the death of of Daystar University student, Lorna Kathambi, has accessed CCTV footage showing what transpired.
Source: Facebook
The development came after seven students from different institutions within Nairobi, who had been partying with Kathambi at Harmony Plaza in Ngara on the night she died, were arrested and detained for a week to allow lead investigator Johnes Nyangige to complete inquiries.
What caused Lorna Kathambi’s death?
Appearing before Milimani chief magistrate Dolphina Alego on Monday, December 1, Nyangige told the court that the footage showed Kathambi accidentally fell to her death.
The officer stated that Kathambi was in the company of Kariuki Gitonga, the first respondent, when she died.
Footage showed that they attempted to jump from one balcony to another. While Kariuki landed safely, Kathambi fell from the 12th floor to the ground.
“So, they tried to jump where they could be able to enter the balcony of the first respondent (Kariuki); after P1 jumped, the deceased followed as per the CCTV footage, and that was the last minute she was seen alive,” Nyangige told the court.
Nyangige further stated that Kathambi was intoxicated at the time, with a toxicology report confirming she had consumed alcohol.
“In the toxicology, we took some samples of blood from the deceased during the postmortem, which were forwarded for toxicology for analysis, which established the deceased had consumed alcohol,” Nyangige informed the court.
Who were the suspects in Lorna Kathambi’s death?
Following the development, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) informed the court that investigations had been concluded and the matter would now proceed through a public inquest.
The seven students were released and will appear as witnesses in the process.
The suspects initially detained were Dennis Kariuki Gitonga, Louis Osiro, Lucy Mora, Ali Kabwana Kamaku, Precious Kendi Mutembei, Austin Ochieng, and Wendy Kerubo.
Source: Facebook
Nairobi man dies after falling from 14th floor
Elsewhere, a 25‑year‑old man, Lee Owino, died after falling from the 14th floor of an apartment along Kindaruma Road in Kilimani.
Investigations showed Owino and his girlfriend had checked in to the apartment before they were joined by a male friend whom they drank with through the night.
Owino allegedly assaulted the woman, who then demanded that he leave the room, before a scuffle between them escalated.
Investigators suspected that she pushed him over the balcony railing, as security guards later found his body sprawled on the rooftop of a parked car.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
