Kenyan student Sheila Chebii fell 15 floors to her death while working at a Sydney hotel. Her family want answers

It was meant to be Sheila Chebii’s last shift as a housekeeper. For weeks, the 25-year-old international student had stripped linen, made beds and refilled towels in the rooms of a luxury high-rise hotel above central Sydney . That Sunday in May, the plan was for Chebii to return home to a dinner of soft chapatis with her cousin and friends. The following day she was due to start a new role as a cleaner, her cousin says. But about six hours into her shift on 17 May, emergency services were called to Meriton Suites on Sussex Street where she had worked as a housekeeper for less than a month. Police say Chebii died after falling 15 storeys from the 19th floor to a fourth-floor balcony. She had arrived in Australia from Kenya just six weeks earlier to begin postgraduate studies in accounting. Police have said there is no evidence to indicate anyone else was involved and no cause of death has been publicly released. “NSW police continue to liaise with the woman’s family as well as consulate staff and are keeping them apprised of the status of the investigation,” a police statement said. A month after her death, Chebii’s family is still plagued by unanswered questions about what happened to her. Kenyan community leaders say the mystery surrounding Chebii’s death has further compounded the diaspora’s grief. …