By Andrew Kariuki
The Milimani Magistrates Court has ordered seven university students to remain in custody for seven days as police investigate the death of 23-year-old Daystar University student Lorna Kathambi Karani, whose body was found at Harmony Plaza in Ngara.
According to the investigation file, the seven; Kariuki Gitonga, Louis Osiro, Lucy Mora, Ali Kibwana, Precious Mutembei, Austin Ochieng and Wendy Kerubo, were arrested on November 23 after being seen with Kathambi throughout the night before she died.
Police told the court that CCTV footage and witness statements placed the group at Harmony Plaza at 2:27 a.m. where they proceeded to one of the apartments and began partying. Security guard Patrick Mbugua reported that he warned them to lower the noise, and they briefly complied.
At 4:10 a.m., four members of the group left the building and later returned with Dennis Gitonga, a tenant on the 11th floor, who informed the guard that the group were his guests.
The guard again cautioned them against causing disturbance.
Moments after the group walked toward the lift, Mbugua heard a loud bang.
He rushed downstairs and found Kathambi lying on the ground floor, unresponsive and already dead.
Investigating officer Johnes Nyangige asked the court for ten days to complete the probe, citing unrecorded witness statements, pending forensic steps, and the need to reconstruct the sequence of events. He also argued that the suspects were flight risks, noting they had no fixed residence and were found drunk and sharing a single room at the time of arrest.
The prosecution supported the request, saying investigators needed more time to determine each suspect’s role in the events leading to the student’s death.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego granted seven days instead of the ten requested and directed that the seven remain in custody as investigations continue.
In a humane address made off the record, Magistrate Alego asked the parents and guardians of the accused to advise their children and urged them to form a support group to speak to the students during the detention period.
“I am speaking to you as a mother not as a Magistrate,” Magistrate Alego stated.
