No Charges for Students as CCTV Reveals How Daystar Student Fell to Her Death

Seven university students who were identified as persons of interest over the mysterious death of their colleague, Lorna Kathambi Karani, have been released after new CCTV footage revealed she fell while attempting to jump between two balconies.

The footage, presented during a mention at the Milimani Law Courts, showed that Karani lost her balance and fell as she tried to leap from one balcony to another on the night she died. The revelation significantly shifted the direction of the investigation.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) informed the court that detectives had completed their inquiries and that the case would now proceed to a public inquest.

The seven students, Dennis Kariuki Gitonga, Louis Osiro, Lucy Mora, Ali Kabwana Kamaku, Precious Kendi Mutembei, Austin Ochieng, and Wendy Kerubo, spent a week in custody and will now appear as witnesses rather than suspects.

Karani, a 23-year-old Daystar University student, died during a party at Harmony Plaza Apartments in Ngara on November 23.

According to an affidavit sworn by DCI Corporal Johnes Nyangige, Karani had spent the night with the group and arrived at the building while they were intoxicated. Residents told investigators they heard the group singing and playing guitar on the 12th floor before a loud noise interrupted the revelry. A security guard later discovered Karani lying on the ground floor.

Detectives recovered several of her belongings from Gitonga’s apartment, prompting further investigative steps. Police sought an additional 10 days to retrieve more CCTV footage, analyze call data, collect additional statements, and wait for the autopsy report.

However, Monday’s court session took a different turn when Magistrate Dolphina Alego shifted the discussion to the students’ behavior and wellbeing. She asked them to reflect on how it felt to spend seven days in custody without alcohol. Some admitted they had struggled with alcohol abuse, while others denied drinking at all.

The magistrate then invited the students’ parents to address the court. Emotional and disappointed, they spoke about the distress the incident had caused their families and the heartbreak experienced by Karani’s loved ones.

Magistrate Alego urged the students to reflect on the tragedy and the pain caused to the victim’s family.

After reviewing the file, she ordered the students’ release and closed the matter at the court’s level, leaving the next phase to unfold through the public inquest.

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