City Death

A man in his mid twenties or early thirties fell off an office block building in Nairobi and died on the spot, causing panic and anxiety in the City.

Police said they were yet to establish if the man worked or studied at any of the private and public universities located at the 20-storey View Park Towers on Uhuru Highway.

Witnesses gave contradicting statements, with some saying the man was one of the cleaners who fell off from one of the floors on the 15th floor where they were cleaning windows.

Others told police and journalists that the man may have jumped off a window from one of the floors but none of the theories was immediately substantiated.

A senior police officer from the Central Police station who visited the scene said they were pursuing reports that “the man was working at the building when he suddenly fell off.”

“There are many theories and versions here, many of the witnesses have told us he was one of the cleaners and we are keen to establish that. Our detectives are still interrogating people here to get more information,” the officer said.

The incident that occurred shortly after 1 pm attracted a crowd which milled at the scene for nearly two hours as they jostled to catch a glimpse of the man’s mutilated body.

“I was passing near Utalii House when I heard a loud bang and ran to check, that is when I found this man lying dead here and his body parts scattered all over,” Abdul Ali, a witness who is also a student at a city college said.

The man landed on the bonnet of a vehicle that was parked on the front side of the building.

Police confirmed that an initial investigation had shown the man had died from the fall and not from any injuries prior to the incident.

“It is pathetic,” Linda Okelo, a witness said. “It is one of those scenes you don’t want to see or be told about.”

Police recovered a copy of what is believed to have been the deceased man’s identification card from his pockets and pleaded to journalists not to broadcast or print its contents until the next of kin are notified.