Inquest launched Into Lornah Kathambi’s death after court frees seven students

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A public inquest will be opened to investigate the death of Lornah Kathambi, a Daystar University student who died after falling from the 11th floor of Harmony Plaza in Ngara.

This follows advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, issued after detectives handed over CCTV recordings and a toxicology analysis capturing the student’s final hours.

Testifying before Magistrate Dolphina Alego at the Milimani law courts,the lead investigator Johnnes Nyangige explained that Kathambi had been with Kariuki moments before the fall. 

The two reportedly attempted to move from one part of the building to another. The 1st respondent (Kariuki Gitonga) completed the jump, but Kathambi slipped and plunged to the ground.

Seven suspects before Milimani law courts on December 1,2025 after the court told them they will serve as state witnesses in the case.photo/Screengrab

Nyangige noted that the toxicology report indicated Kathambi was heavily intoxicated at the time.

The State has further proposed that seven students who had been out with Kathambi earlier in the night be listed as state witnesses in the inquest. 

The seven are Dennis Kariuki Gitonga, Loise Osilo, Lucy Moraa, Ali Kibwana Kamaku, Precious Kendi Mutembei, and Wendi Kerubo.

According to earlier accounts presented in court, the seven students had been attending a party at Harmony Plaza in Ngara on the night the 23-year-old Daystar University student, Lorna Kathambi, died.

The defence stated that Kathambi had slipped from the eleventh floor and fell to her death, an incident they described as sudden and deeply traumatic for everyone present.

Police arrested the seven students on Sunday after the incident, arguing that they needed more time to complete key investigative steps, including phone analysis, retrieval of CCTV footage and recording witness statements. 

The defence, however, maintains that the remaining investigations do not require their continued detention.

After reviewing the file, the court closed the miscellaneous file matter and ordered for their release

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