NGOs call for inquest after Autopsy reveals Nyeri man was strangled

Joseph Kangethe (right) and John Githinji at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nyeri over criminal activities. [Kibata Kihu/Standard]

A man who was found dead weeks after he surrendered himself to police officers died of strangulation, according to the results of a postmortem.

John ‘Mrefu’ Githinji, 42, surrendered to police on October 22, alongside Joseph ‘Mo East’ Kangethe, 33, after the two expressed fear for their lives when they had been linked to the murder of a chief in Nyeri.

On Thursday last week, Githinji’s body was found bound and stuffed in a sack at Karia dam on the outskirts of Nyeri town.

According to the postmortem carried out by Independent Medical Lego Unit (IMLU) pathologist Peter Ndegwa, Githinji’s body exhibited signs of asphyxiation (suffocation).

“There was neck compression indicative of manual and ligature strangulation. There were no visible defensive wounds, meaning the person was overpowered or there was more than one attacker. The body was also badly decomposed,” Dr Ndegwa noted.

He explained that while the cause of death had been established, police would still have to carry out their own investigations to gather more evidence.

“This examination results have revealed the cause of death but the circumstances under which he died will be up to the relevant authorities to establish the manner in which he died,” he noted.

The Muslims for Human Rights lobby had facilitated Githinji's surrender to police.