Police said they are investigating who might have killed the 57-year-old Olga Fonseca/ FELIX MAGARA
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – The Venezuelan Ambassador to Kenya who was found dead at her official residence in Runda on Friday morning was strangled.
Police said they are now investigating who might have killed the 57-year-old Olga Fonseca.
The employees at the residence were picked up for questioning at Diplomatic Police Unit headquarters in Gigiri.
“I got a telephone call from the advocate for the Ambassador informing me about the death,” said John Mbugua, who is the lawyer for the employees.
The envoy has in the recent past been at loggerheads with some employees who allegedly refused to drop sexual harassment complaints against former ambassador Gerardo Carillo Silva.
The staff had filed a complaint with the police that the Charge d’Affaires had threatened them with sacking if they did not withdraw sexual harassment reports filed against her predecessor.
Fonseca had pressed the staff to withdraw their sexual harassment complaint against former ambassador Gerardo Carillo Silva.
Following the reports, the Venezuelan government had recalled Silva and appointed Fonseca to replace him.
The staff filed the complaint in April with the diplomatic police.
“We filed a complaint in April with the Diplomatic police alleging sexual harassment by the previous Charge d’Affaires,” said lawyer Mbugua. “The matter is now with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all we have been asking is that justice should be done but so far nothing has happened!”
The employees are reported to have complained that Fonseca dismissed them after they refused to retract the sexual harassment claims.
The three junior male staff who were working at da Silva’s home protested that the diplomat had acted indecently towards them.
Mbugua pointed out that they will be pursuing the case once the emotive issue of Fonseca’s death has cooled down.
“We will keep ourselves in check until this matter is over and the issue of the death is solved and then from there we will cross the bridge when we get there,” he stated.
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