Autopsy fails to determine KFS legal manager Wairimu cause of death

Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Services Manager Esther Wairimu Keige. [Courtesy]

An autopsy conducted on the body of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Services Manager  Esther Wairimu Keige has failed to establish the cause of her death, as investigators await toxicology results to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor, who led the postmortem examination at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), said the advanced decomposition of the body made it impossible to conclusively determine the cause of death.

"We didn't find any injuries on the body, but we have taken samples for further analysis at the Government Chemist. So, the cause of death was not conclusive," Dr Oduor said after the examination.

The findings come a day after the search for the 54-year-old legal manager ended when her body was discovered in an isolated coffee plantation in Area 4 near Karimenu in Juja, Kiambu County.

Police said the body was intact but had significantly decomposed by the time it was found. Two family members later identified the remains at the scene.

Keige had been reported missing on June 10, 2026, after leaving her office along Kiambu Road.

Her disappearance sparked widespread concern across the country, with many on social media linking the case to her role in handling legal disputes involving public forest land, although investigators have not established any connection.

Juja Sub-County Police Commander Isaac Kombo said detectives are continuing with investigations to reconstruct Keige's final movements. Among the latest leads are accounts from pupils at a nearby primary school who reportedly told police they had recently seen a woman believed to be Keige asking for food before her body was discovered.

The new information has prompted investigators to broaden their inquiries while awaiting laboratory findings that could provide critical forensic evidence.

The investigation also follows earlier revelations by Keige's relatives that she had been battling a serious medical condition and major depression in the weeks leading up to her disappearance.

Police have begun recording statements from family members to better understand her physical and mental state before she went missing.

Authorities say all possible lines of inquiry remain open, with detectives expected to rely heavily on toxicology and other forensic tests from the Government Chemist to establish what happened.