Four Sudanese nationals were arrested in connection with the fatal fall of a 55-year-old domestic worker under suspicious circumstances at an apartment in the Kilimani area, Nairobi.

Zeitun Kavayo died on September 18, 2025, after allegedly falling from the fifth floor of a house where she had been contracted for laundry work on Mpunga Road in Kilimani, police said.

This was after the suspects accused her of stealing Sh5,000 from the pocket of a trouser. The suspects, a mother, her two daughters, and a son, were arrested after the incident, police said.

Zeitun, who lived in Kibera, had been employed as a house help by the family. The suspects and police alleged that Zeitun jumped from the fifth-floor balcony of the apartment block, probably to escape or die by suicide, following a confrontation. However, her family has rejected the suicide theory and is demanding a full investigation.

Kilimani police boss Patricia Yegon confirmed the arrests, saying the suspects remain in custody for ten days pending ongoing investigations. 

"The four were presented before the Kibera Law Courts on Monday, and we were granted 10 days to complete our investigations before we return to court on October 1," she said.

A post-mortem was conducted at the City Mortuary revealed that Zeitun died from multiple organ injuries caused by blunt force trauma — consistent with a high-impact fall. The family insists she was murdered.

Her daughter Faith, who lived with the deceased in Kibera, said they want a full investigation into the death and the circumstances leading to it.

"Mum left for work around 9 a.m. She usually came back by 3 or 4 p.m., but that day, she didn’t return. At 9:30 p.m., I got worried and called her. A man picked up. He asked who I was. When I said I was her daughter, he told me she was at Kilimani Police Station and I should go the next morning. I went that night, but was not allowed to see her," said Faith.

Locals protested the incident on Wednesday as they demanded justice. “The only thing we were told was that she had fallen from the apartment building, but no other details were given. When we went to City Mortuary, we found it was my mother. She had left home healthy, and I expected her to come back safe,” Faith Kavayo noted.

According to the suspects, Zeitun was called back to the apartment over a missing Sh5,000.

They allegedly accused her of theft, police said.

This prompted a confrontation leading to the death.

According to court documents presented during the suspects’ detention hearing, the incident allegedly stemmed from a dispute involving the missing money.

The son of the household claimed he had lost cash from a pair of trousers that had been washed by Kavayo.

“The son of the house did not find his money in one of his pockets and therefore he called her back. She had left, but he called her to ask about the missing money. From the testimony, she denied taking any money. As they insisted on reporting to the police, she allegedly tried to escape and fell from the balcony,” said Wilson Hassan Nandwa, defense attorney for the suspects.

However, the family of Zeitun disputes these claims.

“When I went to collect her belongings at the DCI office, I found only Ksh.160 in her purse, slippers, a dress, and rubbers. There was nothing else. She had already left work but was called back, only to end up dead,” Faith added. Police have pledged fairness and justice in the matter. By CYRUS OMBATI, The Star