20-Year-Old Househelp Dies in Suspected Affair With Cop’s Husband

20-year-old Cynthia Nanjala Akiji who passed away on June 3, 2022
20-year-old Cynthia Nanjala Akiji passed away on June 3, 2022
File

The family of Cynthia Nanjala Akiji from Shinyalu, Kakamega is seeking justice for their sister who passed away on Thursday, June 3, at Kenyatta National Hospital. 

Nanjala’s relatives, based in Kangemi, claim that she was murdered in a suspected affair with a police officer's husband in Embakasi, Nairobi. 

Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, her sister, Yvonne Muruli, stated that Nanjala worked as a house help at the cop’s house in Embakasi. The husband reportedly made advances to the 20-year-old househelp

The deceased also allegedly complained to the relatives that the working environment was turning hostile, only six days after she secured the employment. 

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Officers on duty at a police station in Kenya in a photo dated 2020
Photo
NPS

Disappearance

On Friday, May 13, Nanjala mysteriously disappeared when going to pick up clothes from the hanging lines in her residential area. 

Her sister Muruli stated that it was around 7pm in the evening and they suspect that she was kidnapped. 

“There is a police officer at the gate near her house and he claimed that it was too dark for him to have spotted her,” Muruli poked holes into the case. 

Nanjala was traced to a ward at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) on May 15 and her family filed a case at Embakasi Police Station on Friday, June 20, vide OB No:110/20/5/2022. Detective, Rose Mbau, was assigned to the case. 

Reports claimed that well-wishers found her on the roadside in Lunga Lunga. 

“She was in a bad shape, strangled and with a broken spine. We suspect that she was gang-raped.

“As my sister was fighting for her life, she told me that she knew who assaulted her. She told me that the employer’s husband was among the men who accosted her. My sister knew him and picked him out of the gang,” Nanjala’s sister, Muruli told Kenyans.co.ke

Nanjala passed away on Friday, May 3, at KNH. The family also claimed that the doctor indicated that she may have been poisoned. 

Cover Up 

Her relatives now claim that the cop whose husband was accused of the heinous crime is pulling all strings to protect him. 

“She does not work at Embakasi Police Station but is using her influence to derail the case. She is sabotaging the case,” Muruli alleged. 

“The case has also dragged on and we have been kept out of the loop with proceedings,” she added. 

Detectives are also tracking Nanjala’s co-worker who was reported missing. Police hope that she is alive and can assist in piecing together the case.

 

An image of vehicles parked outside a police station
An image of vehicles parked outside a police station.
File

Muruli alleged that Nanjala claimed that the co-worker was present while she was being assaulted, but she (the deceased) was blindfolded. 

The cousin, Cedrick Nchila, added that they were following up on the case and that the family was shocked by her loss. 

“Muruli called and informed us about the case and it's taken a toll on us. I hope the case will be resolved." 

However, Rose Mbau, the investigating officer handling the case, refuted the allegations by the family, arguing that the preliminary file was also processed and handed over to the OCS Embakasi Police Station. 

“You can come to the station and see for yourself. The OCS has the file. The case is open and available for scrutiny. The family have been kept abreast of the proceedings,” she told Kenyans.co.ke

Postmortem

“I am even joining the family for a postmortem today at KNH. The findings will aid us in solving the case,” she added. 

The cop and the husband roped into the case could not be reached for comment. OCS Embakasi Police Station was also unavailable for comment as she neither picked up calls nor responded to texts. 

Embakasi Sub-County police commander, Masai Makua confirmed that the husband, a suspect in the case, recorded a statement. Nonetheless, no suspect has yet been arrested. 

George Okal, the Head of legal affairs at the National Police Service's Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) told Kenyans.co.ke that they are waiting to receive a formal complaint, file and witnesses before they launch an investigation into the case. 

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