Woman found dead after inhaling carbon monoxide in Mihango, Nairobi

Detectives are investigating an incident where a woman was found dead with a burning jiko in her house in Mihango area, Nairobi.

Police said the deceased, identified as Aisha Kajuju, 34, had sealed off her house using clothes and a sellotape before lighting a jiko that killed her in bed on September 21, 2025.

It is suspected that she wanted to die by suicide.

Her family had tried to call her in vain. They came to the house and used a spare key to access it, where they found a sufuria on a burnt jiko that had charcoal.

The woman had placed a damp cloth under the bedroom door, closed all the windows, and used sellotape and nylon papers to seal off the ventilation.

She then lit the jiko, which police believe killed her from suffocation.

The family said the woman had attempted suicide twice in the past. The motive was not immediately known.

The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy.

Carbon monoxide poisoning, always referred to as ‘the silent killer’, happens when the toxic odourless gases emitted from burning wood or charcoal mix with blood and affect oxygen circulation in the body.

“When you breathe in carbon monoxide, it enters the blood, mixes with the red blood cells' haemoglobin to form poisonous carboxyhemoglobin that prevents blood from transporting oxygen,” reads a report from WHO.

The signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, stomach upset, vomiting, chest pain, blocked nose, running nose, red eyes, and confusion.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is more likely to occur when people are asleep. Officials advise against using a jiko in poorly ventilated places.

Cases of suicide have been on the rise amid efforts to address the trend.

The World Health Organisation says such cases are attributed to joblessness, death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial difficulties.

Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression, and bipolar disorder.

The government says efforts are being made to address the menace.