The death of 32-year-old Abigael Nafula has turned into a murder investigation after a postmortem examination contradicted the initial account that she had taken her own life.
Nafula, a mother of one from Kimilili, Bungoma County, was reported missing after travelling with her estranged husband, a Kenya Defence Forces officer, shortly after the two had taken their daughter back to boarding school. Her family has called for justice as detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to Nafula's sister, Lilian, Nafula met the KDF officer while in Form Three, and their relationship began after she completed Form Four. The two married in 2013. Lilian said the marriage had its difficulties over the years, but tensions reportedly worsened in December 2025 after Nafula told her family that her husband had allegedly been involved with another soldier. The dispute reportedly became serious enough for Nafula to leave their home in Gilgil, Nakuru County, and move to Rongo to start afresh.
Her husband had meanwhile been deployed to Congo but was reportedly sent back to Kenya after about two months. According to Lilian, Nafula later learned he had returned and wanted to reconcile. "He came back apologising for his wrongs," Lilian told TUKO.co.ke.
Lilian said the officer contacted Nafula and asked to meet to explain himself. Nafula reportedly agreed and told her sister she was willing to consider giving the marriage another chance, partly so their daughter could grow up with both parents. The couple planned to meet in Nakuru on April 27, 2026, along with their daughter, who was due back at school. Lilian said Nafula later described the day as uneventful, saying her husband had treated them well during the trip.
That trip would be the last time the family saw Nafula alive. According to Lilian, on the night of April 29, the man sent her a message asking her to tell their mother that Nafula had returned home. The message did not immediately raise suspicion, but the family soon found they could not reach Nafula. When relatives contacted her husband, he reportedly explained that she had insisted on getting out of the vehicle while they were travelling toward his village. The explanation left the family with unanswered questions, and they began searching for her. Nafula was later reported missing, and the family continued searching for weeks.
A postmortem report later changed the direction of the case. The Star reported that detectives in Bungoma reopened investigations after an examination at Webuye Sub-County Hospital established that Nafula had died from asphyxiation caused by strangulation, along with a fractured cervical vertebra linked to trauma, findings that contradicted the initial suggestion of suicide. Her body had reportedly been found in a hotel room, discovered by staff in the bathroom.
Western Kenya Times separately reported that Nafula had been missing for about 25 days before her body was traced to the Webuye morgue, identifying her as Abigael Nafula Ogara. The publication reported that her partner, the KDF officer, had become the prime suspect, as he was reportedly the last person seen with her. As of the latest available reports, no arrest had been made, and The Star said detectives were pursuing several leads.
Her sister has questioned the husband's account and appealed to authorities to establish what happened to Nafula. The family's account of the troubled marriage, the attempted reconciliation, and the circumstances of her disappearance remain background to the investigation and should not, on their own, be treated as proof of who caused her death. The confirmed development at this stage is the postmortem finding that Nafula died from strangulation and trauma, prompting detectives to treat the case as murder.
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