NAIROBI, Nov 22 — Kenya has launched a murder investigation into the death of a BBC staff member in a Nairobi hotel room, the city’s police chief said today.

The body of Kate Mitchell, a British national who worked for BBC Media Action, the broadcaster’s international charity, was found on Friday, shortly after an emergency alarm was activated in her room, police said.

Her eighth-floor room’s window was broken and the body of a man she had been with earlier was found on the ground outside the hotel.

"We are investigating circumstances surrounding these deaths, but so far it is apparent the man jumped (out of) the window after killing her,” Nairobi police chief Augustine Thumbi told AFP.

"We do not know the motive so far, and these are things the investigators are trying to put together.”

In a statement, the BBC said Mitchell worked with the organisation for 14 years, including most recently as a senior project manager in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

"We are all shocked and horrified by this terrible news,” BBC Media Action CEO Caroline Nursey said.

"Kate was a much-loved member of staff... she was well known across our whole organisation, especially by our teams in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zambia, and London.

"We send our deepest condolences to her family and her many friends around the world,” she added.

The donor-funded charity focuses on using media and community to support marginalised groups around the world. — AFP