Nicole Akinyi during the interview on her hospital bed at Kenyatta National Hospital. Inset: Agnes Muthigani Ndanu.
If fate had its way, 27-year-old Nicole Akinyi would not have survived the Sunday night incident that left her lying on the concrete outside the apartment she shared with her partner, 35-year-old Agnes Muthigani Ndanu. Nicole says Ms Ndanu pushed her from their sixth-floor balcony on the morning of July 4, 2026.
Ms Ndanu is the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at International Life House Police Post, which falls under the Central Police Station command. The DCIO at Kasarani Police Station, Aloyce Mboya, said detectives are now treating Ms Ndanu as a person of interest in the case.
"We are currently investigating the matter based on what happened before and after the fall. We have been able to record Nicole's statement, which will form part of the investigation, along with other witness statements," Mr Mboya said.
Nicole narrated the harrowing events of Sunday morning from her bed at Kenyatta National Hospital, where she has been admitted after doctors found she had suffered a broken arm, deep cuts on her leg and a spinal fracture that left her paralysed.
"We had gone out to a club the night before and had just reached her apartment in the early morning hours of Saturday. She was in a bad mood and told me I should stop talking to men when we go out. I told her those were my friends and I was just greeting them. We started arguing back and forth. She told me those men would not take care of me and that she was the only one who would provide for me because my family is poor and that's why my mother died," Nicole said.
Angered by the statement, Nicole said she went to the bedroom and sat on the bed. She said Agnes then stormed in.
"She broke a bottle of alcohol on my head and I started bleeding profusely. I can barely keep a smartphone because she broke my previous ones, so I reached for my kabambe (feature) phone to call several numbers for help. Only my dad picked up and I screamed that Agnes was trying to kill me. Agnes took the phone and smashed it against the wall," Nicole added.
Nicole then ran to the main door of the house but said Agnes had locked it and refused to let her leave.
"This isn't the first time she has been violent towards me. We have been together for three years, but for the past two years not a week has gone by without her beating me. Sometimes she locks me in the house to teach me a lesson, and when I have tried to go back to my father's home, she follows me there and threatens my family if they do not allow me to return with her," Nicole added.
Nicole Akinyi during the interview on her hospital bed at Kenyatta National Hospital. Inset: Agnes Muthigani Ndanu.
Nicole then decided to run to the balcony and scream for help from neighbours. She said she heard a group of people on the floor above talking on their balcony and begged them to come to her rescue or notify the caretaker that she was being attacked, but no one came.
Agnes came onto the balcony, punched and kicked Nicole, and forced her back into the house, warning her that she had made a big mistake by screaming for help. The struggle continued, with Nicole finding herself back on the balcony pleading for assistance.
"I went to the left corner of the balcony and was trying to shield my face from the blows coming from Agnes. The last thing I heard her say was, 'Unafikiria unaenda wapi? Kwenda huko,' which translates to, 'Where do you think you are going? Go over there.' Then I felt the push and blacked out. When I came to, I was on the ground," Nicole added.
Neighbours and passers-by gathered around Nicole, some taking photographs of her with their phones while others looked on, too frightened to help.
"Only one woman finally called an ambulance. I then heard Agnes' voice near me and felt my arm, which had already been fractured, being pulled. She was trying to drag me to her car, which was parked in the basement. The people who had gathered around me yelled at her to leave me alone. They called her a killer. She then got into her car and left," Nicole said.
However, Agnes did not flee. Nicole's family says she later went to the hospital that evening. Her relatives and friends spotted her and began shouting, demanding that she be apprehended. In a 1-minute, 37-second video recorded on one of Nicole's friend's phones, security guards at Kenyatta National Hospital and police officers are seen shielding Agnes from the crowd and asking them to calm down.
That was the last time Nicole, her family and friends say they saw Agnes.
Agnes Muthigani Ndanu, 35, worked at International Life House Police Post as the Officer Commanding Station. About 10 days before the incident, she had been scheduled for transfer to Matungulu Police Station in Machakos County. Immediately after the incident, she recorded a statement with investigators. Police officers declined to say whether she had previously faced disciplinary cases.
Photos and videos of Agnes shared by Nicole's friends and family portray a woman who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. In several videos, she is seen showing off various cars, holding bottles of alcohol and smoking in nightclubs. Nicole's family says that since the incident, she has deleted traces of herself from social media.
When the Nation asked Nicole about Agnes' background, she hesitated before saying:
Agnes Muthigani Ndanu (left) and Nicole Akinyi.
"She often used her rank because she is quite senior. Whenever she beat me, she would say there was nowhere the case would go because she is in the police service."
An old photograph Nicole posted on her WhatsApp status shows deep cuts and bruises on her back. She captioned it: "GBV. Please, anyone who can help me, please do. I've been beaten all my life. I'm seeking real help."
Nicole's sister, Annette Akinyi, said: "Since the incident, we have been afraid of her because sometimes she would jump the gate if Nicole came back home to us. I believe she broke Nicole's smartphones because she knew Nicole could record evidence of what had happened. When the incident happened on Sunday, she called us laughing it off, saying she is a police officer and no consequences would follow."
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has also reportedly begun investigating the matter. The Nation reached out to Ipoa to establish the status of the investigations, but there was no response by the time of publication.
Nicole's family says Ms Ndanu built a system of power and intimidation rooted in both her professional position and personal life, isolating Nicole from her family and threatening them on several occasions.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
