Missing KFS Lawyer found dead: New development into the incident

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has called for an immediate joint investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) into the deaths of advocates Esther Wairimu Keige and Edward Muthee Kariuki.

In a statement issued on July 8, LSK President Charles Kanjama said the death of KFS Legal Officer Esther Wairimu came just 48 hours after the killing of Advocate Edward Muthee Kariuki in Athi River, describing the two incidents as a direct attack on the legal profession.

“The Law Society of Kenya has received confirmation of the death of our colleague, Advocate Esther Wairimu Keige, after weeks of anxious searching and fervent hope that she would be found alive,” read part of the statement.

The body of the 54 year old KFS Legal Officer, Esther Wairimu was found on July 7 in an isolated coffee plantation in the Area 4 locality near Karimenu, Juja, Kiambu County, weeks after she went missing.

In the evening hours, a farm worker cutting grass at Fusion Farm in the Kiaora area stumbled upon her body hidden in a secluded, isolated section of a coffee plantation. 

Esther was last seen on June 10, 2026, after leaving her office located along Kiambu Road in Nairobi. Her sudden disappearance prompted national concern, leading to public appeals for help from both the Kenya Forest Service and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President, Charles Kanjama.

According to Juja Sub-County Police Commander Isaac Kombo, the body was discovered in the coffee plantation and was already in an advanced state of decomposition, although it was found intact.

The remains were moved to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital mortuary, where an autopsy is expected to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

On the other hand, Advocate Edward Muthee Kariuki was found dead outside a residential estate in Athi River, Machakos County.

According to police, the incident was reported on Sunday, July 5, 2026, after a security guard on duty discovered the advocate lying unresponsive outside the estate.

Police said Kariuki had a visible cut above his right eye and a deep wound at the back of his head, which investigators believe was inflicted with a sharp object.

The society also demanded a forensic audit of all active land acquisition, leasing and alienation files handled by the Kenya Forest Service’s legal department over the past 12 months to establish whether Advocate Esther Wairimu Keige’s work may have been linked to her killing.

Additionally, the LSK urged the government to immediately provide security and protection for advocates serving in public regulatory bodies, arguing that many face threats while safeguarding public resources from corruption.

According to the LSK, the killings were “not a statistical coincidence” but a calculated attempt to intimidate advocates and undermine the rule of law.

The society warned that the back-to-back killings point to rising criminality and called on authorities to act swiftly to restore confidence in the country’s justice system.

The LSK extended its condolences to the KFS legal officer’s family, friends, colleagues at the Kenya Forest Service, and the wider legal fraternity.