Details have emerged surrounding the death of Oscar Mungai Kanyi, a Nairobi County enforcement officer who allegedly plunged from the sixth floor of City Hall Annex in May 2025.
The untimely death now paints a troubling picture of internal rot, weak supervision, and mounting pressure within the County Inspectorate Department.
According to a report presented to the Nairobi County Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Mungai was not on duty on the day of his death. He had been officially on leave and was expected to report back to work on June 10, 2025. Yet, on May 31, the officer was spotted in full county uniform near the Nation Centre on Kimathi Street — a location often linked to extortion and harassment of motoristsby rogue enforcement officers.
Witnesses told the committee that Mungai was in the company of a civilian identified as Joseph Muchiri, and that the two were allegedly demanding bribes from public service vehicle drivers. The revelation has sparked questions about how an officer on leave accessed official uniform and continued engaging in unauthorized patrols.
Committee chairperson Jared Akama, the MCA for Mugumoini Ward, described the incident as a clear revelation of a deeper problem within the county’s enforcement arm. “We are dealing with a system that has lost internal discipline. Officers appear to be operating with little or no supervision,” he said.
The committee’s findings suggest that Mungai may have been under immense psychological stress in the days leading up to his death. Colleagues who appeared before the committee said he looked “disturbed and anxious” and had complained of being unfairly singled out in an ongoing internal probe into corruption within the department.
CCTV footage reviewed by investigators showed Mungai entering the City Hall Annex building at around 9:20 a.m. before proceeding to the upper floors. Moments later, he was found dead on the pavement below.The footage, according to the report, offered no signs of struggle — but his family maintains there are unanswered questions.
Relatives of the deceased have since dismissed claims that he took his own life, insisting that the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious and poorly investigated. They have petitioned the County Assembly to push for an independent public inquest into the matter.
The JLAC committee has proposed a raft of reforms, including stricter control of uniforms, routine psychological evaluations for county enforcement officers, and the establishment of a welfare and counseling unit. “The kind of pressure these officers face — from public hostility, poor working conditions, and internal politics — can be overwhelming,” Akama noted.
The report also recommends disciplinary action against senior officers who fail to supervise their subordinates and calls for a broader audit of the Inspectorate Department to eliminate entrenched corruption networks.
For many observers, Mungai’s death has become a symbol of both the moral decay and human cost within the city’s enforcement structure — a reminder that beneath the headlines of extortion and graft are individuals working under intense pressure, often without support or oversight.
