Former Chief Whip George Thuo suffered cardiac arrest, brother tells court

Former Chief Whip George Thuo died from heart-related complications, a Nairobi Court has heard.

Thuo's brother, Samuel Imbutiti, told the court that when the deceased passed away, he took a notification from the attending doctors to the Parklands Police Station to report the death.

When questioned on the contents, he said he could vaguely remember that the notification indicated that Thuo had succumbed to a cardiopulmonary arrest.

A cardiopulmonary arrest is also known as a cardiac arrest and occurs when blood circulation suddenly stops due to failure of the heart to contract effectively. It is different from a heart attack but can be caused by one.

High Court Judge Roselyn Korir heard that the heart condition is what was recorded on the occurrence book.

This is contrary to a police report that indicated that the late Thuo died from ingesting a poisonous substance.

"I later learned that he had been poisoned. I was informed by the investigating officer that he had died from poisoning after postmortem was conducted," he said.

He said his brother was of good health and keenly went for regular health check-ups to maintain himself.

"He liked to see doctors to maintain his good health. He also used to push us to go for regular check-ups," Imbutiti testified.

He dispelled the notion that there was acrimony between Thuo and his wife Judith Wamaitha.

"There was no incident, nothing unusual between Thuo and his wife. They had a cordial relationship. They behaved like a normal couple," Justice Korir heard.

He recalled how they had enjoyed their younger brother's wedding the day before and on the fateful day, went to Kitengela where they had meat and a few drinks.