Mercy Maina Wachinga/HANDOUTThe family of Mercy Maina Wachinga, the 32-year-old woman whose decomposed body was discovered in her rented apartment in Nairobi’s Lavington estate, has appealed for financial assistance to help fulfil her final wishes.
Mercy’s family says it is seeking support of any kind as it prepares to give her the send-off she had requested in a handwritten note detailing her final wishes.
In a video shared on social media, Mercy’s mother, Grace Nyambura Nderitu, described her daughter as an important person in her life and appealed to Kenyans to come to the family’s aid.
“Mercy used to help me a lot. She was a very important person to me,” Nderitu said.
She said Mercy was her second-born daughter and that the family’s priority was to honour the wishes she left behind.
“She was second born. I just want to reach out to Kenyans for assistance of any kind. I just want to fulfil her wish,” she said.
Mercy’s sister, Wambui Maina, echoed the appeal, saying the family simply wanted to honour what their kin had requested before her death.
“We just want to fulfil her wish, as the mother has put it. God bless you,” Wambui said.
Mercy had requested to be cremated, with her ashes scattered in a river, according to the handwritten note recovered by authorities.
In the note, she also urged people to stop judging others and instead embrace one another
“Stop judging people,” she wrote.
She further asked her mother to forgive her and expressed her love for rivers while outlining her wish to either be cremated or have her remains laid to rest in a river.
Mercy’s body was discovered on September 3, 2026, after the management of the apartment raised concerns over an unusual smell and her prolonged absence.
Apartment manager Musa Kombo said the first alarm was raised on Wednesday, August 12, when residents reported the smell coming from the building.
Kombo said he went to the apartment and asked residents to open their houses in an attempt to establish the source of the smell.
However, Mercy did not respond when her door was knocked, nor did she answer calls made to her phone.
As concerns grew, Kombo said he informed the apartment owner and later reported the matter to officers at Muthangari Police Station on September 3.
Police officers subsequently went to the Lavington apartment, forced open the door and found Mercy’s body lying on her bed in an advanced state of decomposition.
Police said Mercy is believed to have died by suicide, with investigators authenticating the handwritten note she had left behind.
Her family is now appealing to well-wishers to help them raise the resources needed to honour the wishes contained in the note and give Mercy the send-off she wanted.
The family said any form of assistance would be appreciated as they seek to navigate the loss and complete the arrangements for her final farewell.
