Kibera Residents Take to the Streets Over Mysterious Death of Worker in Kilimani

Protests erupted in the Kibera estate in Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon after residents took to the streets to protest the gruesome murder of a domestic worker in Kilimani.
The 54-year-old woman, Zaituni Kavaya, died under unclear circumstances while in the hands of her employer in Kilimani, where she had gone to undertake cleaning duties.
While demonstrating, the protesters, who were mainly elderly women and men, marched from Kibera Estate through Yaya Center to Kilimani, where Kavaya is believed to have died.
During the protests, the locals hoisted placards and twigs outside the building where the 54-year-old died. While standing outside the apartment,the protesters demanded justice for the deceased.
“We have come here to protest the death of one of our own. As a former domestic worker who has worked in 8 countries, I did not expect such a thing to happen in Kenya,” said one of the protesters.
“These are things that have mainly been happening in Arab nations, where you try to defend yourself and the next thing that happens to you is that you are thrown from a storey building to death,” she added.
The protests come hours after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)apprehended five Sudanese nationals over the death of Kavaya.
Following their arrest, the suspects were taken to Kilimani Police Station, where they were interrogated even as police officers continue with investigations into the worker’s murder.
Reports indicate that Kavaya had gone to work on the fifth floor of an apartment located along Munga Road in Kilimani, but never returned home, prompting investigations by the police.
According to the deceased’s daughter, Faith Kavaya, attempting to reach her mother through a phone call proved futile as no one picked up the phone. Faith noted that she wanted to take tea to her mother, but unfortunately, she was unavailable.
The daughter revealed that she later received a call from a police officer who instructed her to visit the Kilimani Police station. Upon arrival, she was informed that her mother had died after falling from the fifth floor of a storey building.
She then proceeded to the Nairobi City mortuary, where she found the lifeless body of her mother. Court documents showed that the victim’s death reportedly stemmed from a case of missing cash.