KDF soldier detained after girlfriend's sudden death in Kitengela lodging

A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier was arrested after the sudden death of his girlfriend in a lodge in Kitengela, Kajiado County.

Police suspect the woman died of heart-related complications and intend to establish more through an autopsy.

The autopsy is planned at the mortuary, police said after the Friday night incident.

Kitengela Directorate of Criminal Investigation Officer-in-Charge Joseph Indege said the soldier was assisting with investigations.

The soldier surrendered to the military police a few hours after dumping the lover's body at a health facility in Kitengela town.

The soldier had booked a room in an apartment in Kitengela to spend time with his girlfriend, only for their stay to turn tragic, police said.

This is after the woman became unconscious and developed difficulty in breathing on Friday at about 11 pm.

The soldier raised an alarm and the caretaker responded.

According to witnesses, they requested one of the tenants to assist with his motor vehicle to carry the deceased to St Paul's Hospital Kitengela, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police said the 24-year-old woman is suspected to have died in the lodging long before reaching the hospital.

Police further said that the soldier and the vehicle driver were requested by the nurses to report the case to the police.

The nurses advised the two who brought the body to report the case at the police station.

The driver claimed he was going to call for someone to assist them and a few minutes later, the woman's boyfriend ran away and jumped over the gate of the hospital, police said.

The soldier told the police that, fearing unknown consequences, he had run to Kahawa Garrison and reported to Military Police, where he was detained in the guardroom and later escorted to the Kitengela DCI office on Saturday afternoon.

Preliminary investigations indicated there were no visible injuries on the body.

The body was moved to Shalom Mortuary, awaiting post-mortem.

Such cases are common and are linked to heart-related attacks, police said, citing postmortem reports.