21-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in Nairobi Apartment; Boyfriend Sought as Prime Suspect

 A 21-year-old woman from Meru has been found dead inside her aunt's apartment in Nairobi, with detectives now searching for her boyfriend, who has been named the prime suspect in the case.

Francisca Wanja Thuranira had moved to Nairobi roughly two years ago to study beauty and cosmetics. Following a disagreement with her boyfriend, she had left her home in Umoja to stay with her aunt, Agrippina Meme, at her two-bedroom apartment.

According to reports, Francisca had told her aunt that her boyfriend became violent during the argument, though she did not go into detail about what happened. Her sister, Alice Thuranira, reportedly said Francisca had previously described him as short-tempered and had linked him to other violent incidents during their relationship.

On the morning of Thursday, September 8, Agrippina left for work at around 7:30 a.m. About two and a half hours later, the building's caretaker, James Munyeki, reportedly saw Francisca entering the apartment with a man — a sighting other residents are also said to have made.

By midday, Agrippina grew concerned after being unable to reach her niece by phone, and asked a neighbour to check on her. The neighbour found the apartment's front door unlocked and went inside, discovering Francisca in one of the bedrooms.

Police from Buruburu Police Station responded and determined that she had been stabbed eight times with a kitchen knife, which was recovered as evidence. A postmortem conducted at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital reportedly confirmed that she died from the stab wounds.

Detectives believe the man seen entering the apartment with Francisca was her boyfriend. Investigators reportedly recovered mobile phone data showing eight calls placed to Francisca that morning from a number linked to the suspect, with location data placing his phone at the apartment around the time of her death. His phone has since been switched off, and police have launched a manhunt to locate him.

Investigators also noted there were no signs of forced entry, suggesting Francisca may have let her visitor in herself.

Francisca had completed secondary school in 2024 before moving from Meru to Nairobi, where she initially lived with a relative and worked casual jobs before eventually securing her own place. Her sister said she had been dating the suspect for about a year.

The investigation remains active as detectives work to trace the suspect and establish the full circumstances of her death.