Police in Nairobi have launched an investigation into the death of a senior United States Embassy official, who was found hanging in his hotel room.
This writer understands that the American man aged 58 had been posted to the Embassy in Nairobi as the head of security a few days ago and was expected to report to work on Wednesday morning.
A source, who spoke to a local media, intimated that he had been in self-isolation in line with Covid-19 protocols for travelers arriving in Kenya.
His colleagues, who were expecting him at work, tried to reach him after he failed to show up but in vain.
Together with security officials, the colleagues paid him a visit. They found the door locked and had to break it to access the room.
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The official was found hanging in the room. A suicide note, believed to have been written by him, was recovered.
“The body was found hanging near the room window. He seemed to have died long before security team arrived there,” the source told K24 TV.
Authorities said the note will be subjected to examination to establish if he was the author.
A US Embassy Nairobi spokesperson declined to reveal the identity of the deceased saying his family was yet to be informed about the incident.
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“We can confirm the death of a U.S. government employee. U.S. Embassy Nairobi extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” the spokesperson said.
The body was transferred to mortuary awaiting post-mortem.
Detectives from the US Embassy, Diplomatic Police Unit and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are leading the investigations with the aim of establishing if it was suicide or murder.
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