How mother of four was killed by male patient days after reuniting with her twins

A Kenyan caregiver, Irene Wanjiru Mbugua, was beaten to death by a male patient under her care in the UK just days after reuniting with her twin sons.

Mbugua, 48, was found dead around 1 a.m. on Monday, June 23, at a residence on Markby Road, Winson Green, Birmingham.

She had been working on a live-in shift and was employed by a UK caregiving agency. Her death has shaken the African caregiver community in the UK.

Her brother, Gilbert Mbugua, told reporters that Irene was killed by a mentally unstable male patient.

“Police said she was hit on the head with a blunt object. The postmortem showed she died of blunt force trauma,” he said.

Irene, who was originally from Mataara in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, had been in the UK for two years. Her family says she had just welcomed her twin boys, who recently arrived from Kenya to live with her.

“She was excited to finally be with her sons. They had just joined her in Nottingham where her eldest son also lives,” Gilbert added.

When she missed her daily check-in report, both the family and her agency got worried. Police were contacted and later found her body in the residence where she was on a three-week assignment.

A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder. West Midlands Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the case.