Seven Daystar University students, previously held in connection with the tragic death of their 23-year-old colleague Lorna Kathambi Karani, were released from custody Monday after crucial video evidence emerged. CCTV footage presented at the Milimani Law Courts showed Karani falling to her death as she attempted to jump between balconies at a Ngara apartment building, prompting a shift in the investigation.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) informed the court that criminal charges will not be pursued against the students. Instead, the matter will be investigated through a public inquest, where the seven will now serve as state witnesses to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the fatal incident on November 23.

A Party Ends in Tragedy

The incident occurred at Harmony Plaza Apartments in Ngara, where Karani and her friends had gathered for a party. According to an affidavit by DCI Corporal Johnes Nyangige, the group was reportedly intoxicated. Residents later reported hearing singing and a guitar being played on the 12th floor, followed by a loud noise. A security guard discovered Karani's body on the ground floor shortly after.

The seven students—Dennis Kariuki Gitonga, Louis Osiro, Lucy Mora, Ali Kabwana Kamaku, Precious Kendi Mutembei, Austin Ochieng, and Wendy Kerubo—were detained for a week as detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) launched a probe. Investigators initially sought more time to analyze call data and await an autopsy report, treating the case as a possible murder.

The Decisive Evidence

The investigation took a decisive turn with the retrieval of the CCTV footage. The video allegedly shows Karani and Austin Ochieng attempting to leap from one wing of the building to another. While Ochieng reportedly made it across, Karani slipped and fell from the 11th floor. A toxicology report submitted to the court further revealed that Karani was highly intoxicated at the time of her death.

During the court proceedings, Magistrate Dolphina Alego addressed the students, urging them to reflect on the incident and the distress caused to their families and the family of the deceased. The case has cast a spotlight on student safety and the consequences of high-risk behaviour, prompting a wider conversation on the welfare of young people in institutions of higher learning.

The court is expected to issue further directions on when the public inquest will begin.