Blame game clouds search for what caused Senator Mutula Kilonzo's death

An alleged tampering of specimens and a family stand-off stands in the way of Kenyans knowing the real cause of death of the late Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo.

Communication in our possession shows clear inconsistencies in how up to 50 different specimens collected from the late senator’s body as well as from the scene of his death in his Maanzoni Ranch house were dealt with upon being received by a family appointed pathologist in the United Kingdom.

Pathologist Ian Madison Calder, in a series of email communication and hand-written letters seen by The Standard on Sunday, says he is unable to give a conclusive report on the cause of Mutula's death, since a batch of specimen he received from fellow pathologists in Nairobi had been tampered with.

Speaking to The Standard on Sunday on the telephone from his London home yesterday, Dr Calder insisted that the package containing the specimen weighing approximately 6kg was not in good condition when it got to him.

These allegations have been dismissed by one of the lead family-appointed pathologists in Kenya, Dr Andrew Gachie, who has been accused by some family members of  not being forthright in regard to the death.

Disturbed

“I am very disturbed by what some of them, particularly Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr, say over these allegations. I have continuously kept them in the loop regarding the whole process and have raised my concerns several times regarding the whole process with the family,” Dr Gachie told The Standard on Sunday.

Dr Gachie says there were only two batches of specimen collected during the postmortem examination of the late senator. “One batch left for the Government chemist and another batch left for the United Kingdom to an address provided by and to a contact person given by Dr Calder,” says Dr Gachie

Although the postmortem examination ended on Tuesday, April 30, after a six-hour procedure, the specimen left for the Imperial College in London days later.

“Anyone with professional integrity would want to make sure the address provided was correct. After the procedure, I remained the custodian of the specimen. We finished late that night, so it was agreed amongst all of us — pathologists and family — that the specimens stay overnight at Lee Funeral Home for collection the next day,” he says.

According to Dr Gachie, the specimens were indeed collected the next day and taken to the Nairobi Hospital lab, where they were stored under lock and key in a refrigerated strongroom.