NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 1 – It has now emerged that a 25-year-old man who plunged to his death from the 14th floor of a Kilimani apartment had been in a relationship that began on the dating app Tinder.
The man, identified as Festus Lee Oromo, died on Sunday evening, November 30, at Heartland Apartments on Kindaruma Road in Nairobi.
His body was found on the roof of a white Nissan Tiida parked within the compound, with injuries consistent with a high-impact fall. A post-mortem conducted today showed he suffered extensive trauma, including multiple organ injuries to the head, chest and abdomen, and fractures to both legs. The impact also caused significant damage to the vehicle.
Police say Festus had checked into Airbnb unit 1406, Block B on November 28 in the company of two individuals who have since been arrested, Lilian Moraa Mbeki and Patrick Jagongo.
Detectives now say Festus and Lilian first met earlier this year on Tinder and developed a close relationship. Lilian, who holds dual citizenship in Kenya and Costa Rica, is said to have made frequent trips to Kenya to visit him, with their latest meeting ending in the tragedy now under investigation.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are probing whether Festus fell or was pushed from the apartment balcony. Court documents filed at the Kibera Law Courts indicate the room was found in disarray, suggesting a possible violent confrontation before his death. Lilian was reportedly found asleep in one of the bedrooms and is said to have been intoxicated at the time.
Clothing and identification documents belonging to Festus were recovered in the apartment, while visitor logs show several other guests accessed the unit in the days before the incident.
According to detectives, Lilian told them that she, Festus and Patrick had been drinking together on the night of the tragedy. She claims she later retired to the bedroom, leaving the two men drinking in the living room — a key detail now under scrutiny.
Both Lilian and Patrick were arrested on Sunday, Lilian at the apartment and Patrick in Kahawa West. The court has granted detectives 14 days to hold and question the suspects as they piece together Festus’ final hours.
Samples have been taken for toxicology tests to determine whether alcohol or other substances may have contributed to the events leading to his death.
The case remains under active investigation as detectives work to establish what exactly happened before Festus Lee Oromo’s fatal fall. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
