Anne Muthoni was just beginning to find her footing in the capital. For about five months, the 23-year-old had been living in a modest apartment in Mihang’o, sharing a single room with a roommate while trying to build a life far from home.

Friends described her as warm and hopeful, someone who endured hardship quietly and leaned on close friendships for support.

But on February 1, 2026, Muthoni was found dead in their rented room, lying on her bed with a deep stab wound. Her life had been violently cut short inside the very space meant to offer safety and rest.

Police believe she was killed by her boyfriend, Bernard Mutiso, a serving police officer attached to the General Service Unit (GSU) Training College in Embakasi, who is now on the run. “She didn’t deserve to die like this, especially not at the hands of a police officer,” said Anne Munene, a close friend.

Muthoni’s body was discovered by her roommate, Lucia Wamboi, who returned home later that Sunday morning after completing a 24-hour shift. At first, nothing seemed amiss. “When I came back, the padlock was locked as usual and the key was where we normally leave it,” Wamboi recalled. “When I entered, I found her on the bed, covered well. I thought she was sleeping.”

She spoke casually to her friend, assuming she was deeply asleep. “I even asked her why she was sleeping on that side of the bed, but she didn’t respond. I thought she was just very tired.”

Moments later, Wamboi noticed Muthoni’s hand looked pale. Alarmed, she pulled back the blanket. “I uncovered her and found she was naked, her face covered with a towel, and blood everywhere – on the pillowcase, mattress and sheets. I panicked, ran out and called the neighbours.”

Kayole Sub-County Police Commander John Owuoth said Muthoni was found with a serious stab wound.

Preliminary investigations indicate Muthoni had been with her boyfriend just hours before her death. “A neighbour told us that at about 3am, he heard some noise outside. When he checked, he found two people – the tenant and a man believed to be her boyfriend,” Owuoth said.

The neighbour reportedly helped them access the compound after they failed to open the gate. “He opened the gate and they went into the room. Later, when the body was discovered, the man was missing.”

Manhunt intensifies

Police later established that the suspect is a serving GSU officer who had not reported to duty for several days. “We confirmed that he is attached to the GSU Training College, but he has absconded duty for between 10 and 20 days,” he said.

The killing has left Muthoni’s friends grappling with grief, guilt and unanswered questions, particularly over why she remained in what they described as a violent and controlling relationship.

Munene said Muthoni had previously confided in friends about abuse. “The guy she was dating was very toxic. There were times he beat her, and we kept advising her to leave,” she said. But Muthoni struggled to walk away.

According to Wamboi, conflicts between the couple were frequent, with the suspect allegedly destroying Muthoni’s phone three times in a single month.

Friends now suspect the officer may have tried to divert blame after Muthoni’s death.

Munene claimed Mutiso contacted Muthoni’s sister and attempted to suggest that another man had been involved. “He called her sister and claimed he found Anne with another man in the house, yet at that time, we were all seated there together,” she said.

“There is an ID card belonging to a man called Ojwang that was left in the house. I suspect Mutiso wanted to implicate him,” she said.

According to caretaker Gakii Nyaga, Muthoni, who had lived in the building for about five months, was generally quiet and kept to herself.

“She was calm, respectful and rarely caused any trouble,” Nyaga said.

National concern

The killing has reignited conversations around gender-based violence (GBV) and the vulnerability of young women trapped in abusive relationships, often behind closed doors and sometimes at the hands of those in positions of authority.

A 2026 report by the Technical Working Group on GBV and Femicide in Kenya, submitted to President William Ruto, identified GBV as a national crisis requiring urgent systemic reforms due to weaknesses in prevention, protection and prosecution mechanisms.

Key recommendations included legal reforms to classify femicide as a distinct criminal offence, the use of chemical castration for child defilement convictions, banning out-of-court settlements in GBV cases, and establishing specialised police units and national databases to track offenders.

As investigators intensify the hunt for Mutiso, Muthoni’s family and friends are left grappling with grief and anger, hoping justice will be swift.