After weeks of intensive and painful search by the family of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Service Manager Esther Keige, her body has been found at a farm in Juja, Kiambu County.
Keige, 54, went missing on June 10, 2026, after leaving a hotel along Thika Road, with the search coming to a tragic end on Monday, July 6 after police were alerted that a body had been discovered in the Karemeno Area of Juja.
Juja Sub-County Police Commander Isaac Kombo says that a farm worker was cutting grass at Area 4, Karemeno, when he discovered the body. He then reported the issue to his supervisor, who then alerted the police.
What happened?
On the fateful day of her dissapearence, Keige had visited Senate Hotel in Juja to enquire about gym membership, with her family now revealing that she had been experiencing mental health condition, and her doctor had recommended exercise to ease symptoms.
According to a female driver who accompanied Keige to the hotel, she became concerned when she took too long inside the gym. She called her and Keige assured her that she will be out in a minute. However, she realised something was amiss when her phone went off shortly afterwards.
The driver went inside the gym area of the hotel, and Keige was nowhere to be seen. One of the staff members confirmed that indeed she was there, but was not aware where she had gone afterwards.
It is at this point that the driver contacted Keige’s sister Margaret Wanja, prompting the long search.
“When we arrived at the scene, we found that the body was badly decomposed. Because Keige’s case had been widely reported in the area and was familiar to us, we called a family member to help identify the body,” Kombo told Nation.
Not a first…
The family says this is not the first time Keige went missing, recounting how a few years ago, she dissapeared from home only to be found at a farm in Juja.
However, the family insists that Keige had been able to manage her mental health condition through medication.
According to human rights activist Boniface Mwangi, Keige had on June 9, 2026 told her family that she was feeling uncomfortable after being asked to sign certain documents in the office, and had vowed not to return to work.
The family has, however, not confirmed the Mwangi’s claims.
The body has been moved to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital mortuary. A post-mortem examination to establish the cause of her death will be conducted, even as investigations continue.
