32-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in Lavington Apartment Weeks After Last Being Seen

The body of 32-year-old Mercy Maina Wachinga was found in her apartment at Forhome Apartments in Nairobi’s Lavington neighbourhood on 3 September, nearly a month after she was last seen.

Police forced entry into the apartment after residents and staff reported a persistent foul smell in the building. The odour had been noticed since mid-August, prompting concerns about Mercy’s prolonged absence.

Apartment manager Musa Kombo said attempts to contact Mercy had gone unanswered. Staff knocked on her door and called her phone, but received no response. The matter was later raised with the property owner and reported to Muthangari Police Station.

When officers arrived, they found Mercy’s body on her bed in an advanced state of decomposition. Cleaner Pamela Awino said she first noticed the smell while working in the corridors. She described it as unusual and serious enough to require further investigation. 

Kombo said management decided to seek police intervention after residents questioned the possible source of the odour. Investigators believe Mercy died by suicide. A note found inside the apartment is understood to support that conclusion.

In the note, Mercy asked people not to judge her and urged them to show greater compassion and love towards one another. She thanked her landlord for being patient when she struggled to pay her rent and asked that her belongings be given to her mother. She also left instructions concerning the handling of her body after her death.

Her mother, Grace Nderitu, described Mercy as warm, polite, cheerful and kind-hearted. “Alikuwa mtoto mpole, mcheshi, roho safi. Na alikuwa anapenda mama yake na sibling wake wote,” she said.

Nderitu said she last spoke to her daughter in early August and had not noticed any signs that she was experiencing difficulties. The family was therefore shocked by her death.

Neighbours also remembered Mercy fondly. They said she was friendly with children in the compound and cared deeply for her cat, Woods, which she had entrusted to their care. Police investigations into the circumstances of Mercy’s death are continuing.