KFS legal manager Esther Keige found dead in Juja after weeks missing

Weeks of anxious waiting have ended in tragedy after the body of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Services Manager Esther Wairimu Keige was found in a coffee plantation in Juja, with police now investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

Keige, a 54-year-old advocate, had been missing since June 10, 2026, after leaving her office along Kiambu Road. Her body was discovered on Monday evening in Area 4 near Karimenu in Juja, Kiambu County.

Police said the body was found at about 5pm by a worker who was clearing grass at Fusion Farm in the Kiaora area. After spotting the body lying in nearby shrubs, the worker alerted his supervisor, who reported the incident to Juja Police Station.

Senior police officers visited the scene and established that the body was intact but was already in an advanced state of decomposition.

Two of Keige's relatives later arrived at the scene and confirmed that the body was hers. Her brother also confirmed the discovery.

The body was taken to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

As detectives continue with the investigation, they have started recording statements from family members to help establish Keige's movements before she disappeared, her state of mind and the events leading up to her death.

Police are also following information from students at a nearby school, who told investigators they had seen Keige alive shortly before her body was found. She was reportedly seeking help to get food.

Authorities said investigations are ongoing as they work to determine what happened between the time Keige disappeared and the discovery of her body.

Following her disappearance, KFS issued a public appeal on June 15 asking for help to trace her. The agency identified her as a Manager in the Legal Services department and urged anyone with information about her whereabouts to report to the nearest police station or use the hotline numbers it had provided.