Mystery Surrounds Death of Naivasha Woman After Dispute with Boyfriend

The death of 23-year-old Rachael Moraa is under renewed investigation after post-mortem findings raised doubts about earlier claims that she died in a road accident.

Moraa, who lived in Naivasha, disappeared on 8 December 2025 after leaving her home in Kinamba. Her family searched for her for more than a week, checking hospitals and repeatedly calling her phone without success. On 17 December, they were asked to visit the Naivasha Sub-County Hospital mortuary, where they identified her body.

Hospital records indicated that Moraa had been admitted as an unidentified victim of a road accident. The records said that she was allegedly struck by a vehicle along the Naivasha–Nairobi highway in the Kayole area during the early hours of 9 December and died shortly afterwards. Her body remained at the mortuary for several days, unclaimed, while her family continued to look for her.

Questions about the circumstances of her death have grown following accounts of events leading up to her disappearance. Moraa’s father, George Makori, said she contacted him shortly before she went missing and spoke about difficulties in her relationship with her British boyfriend.

According to Makori, Moraa said the relationship had deteriorated and that she had been asked to leave the Kinamba house they shared. She told him that a lawyer had informed her she had no ownership claim to the property, despite her understanding that the house had been bought for her.

“She told me they had disagreed and that she needed to move out,” Makori said. “She said she was looking for another place to stay.” He said this was the last time they spoke.

The Kinamba property, estimated to be worth about Sh8.6 million, was acquired during the couple’s relationship. They met online in 2023, and the relationship became more serious in mid-2024 when the man travelled to Kenya. They later began living together in Naivasha.

The family said they continued to hope Moraa was alive until they identified her body at the mortuary. They also noted that her boyfriend was not present when relatives and friends gathered to view the body, and that he had already left the country.

Initial reports that Moraa died in a hit-and-run accident were later questioned after an autopsy. The post-mortem examination was conducted by government pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu, alongside a pathologist appointed by the family.

The autopsy concluded that Moraa died from internal bleeding caused by blunt-force trauma. 

The examination recorded broken ribs and visible injuries to her face, hands and legs. The findings strengthened the family’s belief that her death may not have been accidental. 

“There are many unanswered questions,” Makori said. “We want to know who did this and why.”

Following the autopsy, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations escalated the case. The Homicide Department in Nairobi has taken over the inquiry from detectives in Naivasha.

A senior officer involved in the investigation said detectives are retracing Moraa’s final movements, analysing her phone records and questioning people who were in contact with her shortly before she disappeared. At least five individuals are expected to be summoned as part of the investigation.

The conduct of Moraa’s boyfriend has also been noted by the family. Makori said he last spoke to him in mid-January, when the man said he would attend Moraa’s burial and contributed money towards funeral expenses.

He did not attend the burial, which took place on 23 January 2026 at the family home in Kisii. Efforts to contact him afterwards were unsuccessful, and his phone has reportedly remained switched off. 

The family later learned that he briefly returned to Kenya before travelling abroad again. More than a month after Moraa’s burial, her family say they are still seeking answers. 

“She was young and had plans for her future,” Makori said. “We are only asking for the truth.”