A 48-year-old Kenyan caregiver, Irene Wanjiru Mbugua, was beaten to death in the UK by a mentally unstable patient under her care, just days after reuniting with her twin sons.

The tragic incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Monday, June 23, at a residence on Markby Road, Winson Green, Birmingham, where Mbugua was working a live-in caregiving shift.

She was found dead in the home after failing to submit her routine check-in report. Her employer and family alerted authorities, who discovered her body at the scene.

Mbugua’s brother, Gilbert Mbugua, confirmed that police informed the family she had died from blunt force trauma to the head. A postmortem revealed she was struck with a blunt object by a male patient who has since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The suspect, a man in his 30s, was immediately taken into custody. According to West Midlands Police, no other individuals are being sought in connection with the case.

Originally from Mataara, Gatundu North, Kiambu County, in Kenya, Mbugua had moved to the UK two years ago. Her death comes just days after she reunited with her twin sons, who recently arrived from Kenya to join her in Nottingham, where her eldest son also resides.

“She was excited to finally be with her sons,” Gilbert said. “It’s heartbreaking. They had only just arrived.”

The incident has sent shockwaves through the African caregiver community in the UK, many of whom work under demanding conditions in care homes and live-in assignments.