JUJA, Kenya — Homicide has not been ruled out in the tragic death of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Services Manager Esther Wairimu Keige, whose decomposed body was recovered in a bushy area of Juja, Kiambu County, nearly a month after she vanished.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed the grim discovery, stating that specialized homicide detectives are actively investigating the matter while awaiting toxicological and deep forensic examinations to unlock critical leads.
The Disappearance at Juja Shell Station
Keige was first reported missing on June 10, 2026, after her driver dropped her off at a Shell petrol station adjacent to the Senate Hotel in Juja, where she intended to make routine inquiries about local gym services. The driver waited at the scene, but the legal manager never returned, sparking an intensive, weeks-long multi-agency trace operation that pooled mobile phone data analysis, forensic tracking, intelligence-led inquiries, and extensive reviews of local CCTV footage.
As part of the wide-ranging search, teams aggressively combed through locations where Keige was last sighted and areas relevant to her known network, including Kenyatta Road, Gatundu, Darugo, Mang’u, Stage 4, and the local Murram area. Detectives also cross-checked medical facilities and public morgues to determine if she had been admitted anonymously.
During the multi-layered probe, investigators established that the deceased had been battling severe depression and was actively undergoing treatment, with further family interviews revealing she had uncharacteristically disappeared from home on three prior occasions before returning safely.
Grim Discovery at Fusion Estate Farm
The search came to a devastating end at around 5:00 PM on July 6, 2026, when an unidentified, heavily decomposed female body was found inside a makeshift shelter within a secluded, undeveloped section of the Fusion Estate Farm in the Kiaora area, roughly seven kilometers from the Juja Police Station.
Senior law enforcement officials alongside experts from the Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) unit meticulously processed the overgrown site before moving the remains to the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital Funeral Home, where Keige’s sister later performed a positive visual identification.
Chilling Clues at the Crime Scene
In a detail that has heavily piqued the curiosity of investigators, Keige’s mobile phone was recovered intact alongside her remains but was completely switched off, while her shoes had been deliberately removed and neatly placed directly beside her body.
Reaffirming their institutional commitment to executing an impartial, evidence-driven inquiry, the DCI has publicly implored anyone who might have spotted Keige’s movements between June 10 and July 6 to step forward and share records via the national toll-free crime hotline at 0800 722 203.
