Woman found dead in Nairobi apartment after neighbours detect foul smell

A 32-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment in Nairobi’s Dagoretti area after neighbours complained of a sharp smell coming from the room.

The deceased, Mercy Wachiga Maina, was found at Forhome Apartment in Valley Arcade on Thursday, September 3, 2026, police said.

The landlord said she visited the apartment at about 1pm after receiving complaints from neighbours about the smell.

Police officers forced open the door, which had been locked from inside, and found Maina’s decomposed body lying on the bed.

A jiko containing burnt charcoal was also found inside the room.

Scenes of Crime personnel processed and documented the scene before the body was removed to the City Mortuary.

The body was preserved pending an autopsy to establish the cause and circumstances of her death.

Police said they want to know if she died by suicide, placed the jiko by mistake or someone else was responsible for the same.

Carbon monoxide is regarded a silent killer.

A burning jiko emits carbon monoxide, which is deadly. Carbon monoxide poisoning is more likely to occur when people are asleep.

Carbon monoxide poisoning, always referred to as ‘the silent killer’ , happens when the toxic odourless gases emitted from burning wood or charcoal mix with blood and affect oxygen circulation in the body.

When one breathes in carbon monoxide, it enters the blood, mixes with the red blood cells’ haemoglobin to form poisonous carboxyhemoglobin that prevents blood from transporting oxygen.

Officials warn against the use of jiko in poorly ventilated places.

Elsewhere, a man was found dead inside his house in Mabatini, Kasarani, Nairobi, after neighbours detected a foul smell emanating from the residence.

Police said the body of Victor Musyoka Kimuyu was discovered on Thursday evening, September 3, after he had reportedly not been seen for about two days.

Police said a caretaker was pumping water within the compound at about 8.33pm when a tenant alerted him about an unusual odour coming from one of the neighbouring houses.

Police officers, accompanied by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Crime Scene Investigation team, proceeded to the scene.

They found the door to Kimuyu’s house locked from inside, with a foul smell coming from within. With the assistance of the caretaker and a neighbour, officers broke into the house and found Kimuyu’s lifeless body lying in a supine position on his bed.

Police said there were no visible injuries on the body.

The scene was documented by the Kasarani Crime Scene Investigation team before the body was removed to the City Mortuary, where it was preserved pending a postmortem examination to establish the cause of death.

Police have not indicated any suspicion of foul play as investigations continue.