The family of Rosemary Chemutai Koech, a senior KCB Bank Group employee, has spoken publicly about the personal difficulties she was facing in the period before her death, describing a woman who had been quietly grappling with marital strain and mounting financial pressure.

Koech, 40, was found dead at her home in the Ole Nairi area of Ngong, Kajiado County, on August 21, 2026.

What the Family Said

Relatives told reporters that Koech had confided in them about frustrations tied to debts she was working to service, alongside difficulties in her marriage. According to the family, these pressures had been building for some time, even as she continued to hold down a demanding and high-profile career.

Circumstances of Her Death

A caretaker at the property said relatives forced open her bedroom door after she failed to respond to repeated calls and knocks. Police who processed the scene said no suicide note was found.

Her body was taken to Lee Funeral Home, where Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor conducted an autopsy in the presence of detectives and family members. The examination determined that she died by suicide.

A Distinguished Career

Koech had built a respected career spanning law, technology, public policy, and data protection.

She joined KCB Bank Group in June 2022 as Data Protection Officer, having previously served as Public Policy Manager at Safaricom. In June 2023, she was promoted to Head of Data Protection, a role in which she oversaw the Group’s data protection compliance. Earlier in her career, she held various legal, regulatory, and public policy positions within Kenya’s technology sector.

Beyond her corporate role, Koech was a well-known figure in Kenya’s digital rights and internet governance community. She served on the board of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), was Principal of the Kenya School of Internet Governance, and chaired multistakeholder advisory groups for both the Kenya and East Africa Internet Governance Forums.

Following news of her death, KICTANet was among the organisations that paid tribute to her, describing her as an important figure in advancing technology policy, internet governance, and digital rights across the region.

A Loss Felt Widely

Koech’s death has left her family, colleagues at KCB, and Kenya’s broader digital rights and technology policy community in mourning. Tributes have highlighted not only her professional accomplishments but also her role in mentoring and shaping conversations around data protection and internet governance in Kenya and East Africa.