Swiss missionary dead in Kenya
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has confirmed the death of a Swiss citizen in Kenya.
According to reports in the Kenyan media, the 74-year-old woman was a missionary. She reportedly died after being attacked in the house she was renting in the Trans Nzoia region in the western part of the country.
Swiss representatives are in contact with the local authorities, the FDFA announced on Wednesday. The FDFA told Keystone-SDA that no further details could be given for reasons of privacy protection.
The Nairobi NewsExternal link, meanwhile, reported that the victim was “raped and strangled to death by unknown assailants” early Wednesday morning. When she was found, the house had been ransacked and money stolen, said her employees. Local police told the news website that the back door had been pushed in, and a suspect had been arrested.
A relative of the victim told Swiss newspaper BlickExternal link that the woman, originally from Basel, had gone to Kenya about 30 years ago.
Regarding criminality, the FDFA’s travel advice for KenyaExternal link states that “the main risk, especially for those travelling alone, lies in the widespread violent crime” and that there are regular cases of foreign nationals being murdered, including Swiss.
The FDFA also highlights the risk of terror acts as well as the risk of kidnapping near the Somalian border.
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