NAIROBI, KENYA – A Milimani Law Courts magistrate on Monday, November 24, 2025, ordered the detention of seven university students for seven days to allow detectives to conclude their investigation into the death of Lorna Kathambi, a 23-year-old Daystar University student. The fourth-year student died on Sunday, November 23, after falling from the 12th floor of Harmony Plaza Apartments in Ngara, Nairobi, where the group had been attending a party.

The suspects—Dennis Kariuki Gitonga, Loise Osiro, Lucy Mora, Ali Kibwana Kamaku, Precious Kendi Mutembei, Austin Ochieng, and Wendy Kerubo—were arrested on Sunday following the incident. They appeared before Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) sought more time to investigate what they are treating as a suspected murder.

Corporal Johnes Nyangige of DCI Parklands filed an affidavit stating that the suspects were present at a party in Room K78 on the 12th floor on the night Kathambi died. A security guard at the apartment, Patrick Mbugua, reported that he had twice warned the group about excessive noise, which included shouting and singing. According to the police report, four of the suspects left the building at approximately 4:10 AM EAT on Sunday and returned shortly after. Moments later, a loud bang was heard, and the guard discovered Kathambi's body on the ground floor with severe head injuries.

During a search of the primary suspect's house, police recovered items believed to belong to the deceased, including her national ID card, a mobile phone, and a pair of shoes. In his application, Corporal Nyangige argued that investigators require more time to record witness statements, conduct a forensic analysis of the suspects' mobile phones, and retrieve and review CCTV footage from the apartment building. He also noted that the suspects have no fixed abode and could interfere with the investigation or abscond if released on bail.

The court granted the DCI's request, ordering the seven to be held at Parklands Police Station. The investigation is also pending a post-mortem examination, which requires formal identification of the body by Kathambi's family, who are reportedly travelling from Meru.

A Troubling Pattern

Kathambi's death is one of several recent incidents involving the deaths of university students in Nairobi under disturbing circumstances. Between November 21 and 23, two other female university students died in Githurai in separate incidents being investigated as suicides. On November 22, the body of 25-year-old Gloria Kwamboka Angwenyi was found in her locked bedsitter with a bedsheet tied around her neck; police also recovered a suicide note. A day earlier, on November 21, police discovered the decomposed body of Latifa Wangari, a 22-year-old third-year Kenyatta University student, in her apartment after neighbours reported a foul smell. Her body was found hanging from a window grill, and a note was also recovered at the scene.

These events have heightened concerns among the public and student bodies regarding the safety and mental well-being of young people pursuing higher education in the capital. Student organizations have previously called for increased mental health support and better security measures in and around university hostels and student residences. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.