Detectives go for vomit as advocate’s suspicious death is probed

Karanja Kabage (waving) when he contested the Nakuru senatorial seat in 2017. [File, Standard]

Samples of vomit collected from inside a car driven by a prominent city lawyer who later died in hospital will assist in investigations.

Police said there was vomit in the car driven by Karanja Kabage on Friday night before he died.

The officers said early reports indicated that Kabage might have suffered a heart attack while driving on the Southern by-pass, Nairobi.

“But let us wait for the postmortem examination to tell us more on the possible cause of the incident,” said an official who visited the scene.

Veered off

Witnesses told police Kabage’s vehicle veered off the road, on the Southern bypass, slowed down and appeared to be making a U-turn before slightly hitting the pavement.

The impact was not life threatening. His vehicle was slightly damaged and he was talking when he was found on Friday night.

Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said upon the intervention of a taxi driver and a Good Samaritan who stopped, Kabage asked to be taken to the Nairobi Hospital, where he arrived unconscious.

Efforts by doctors to resuscitate him proved futile. He was later pronounced dead. As part of the probe, police intend to interrogate his driver and other people who were last with him.

They also want to know where he visited hours before the incident. The driver is said to have parted with him on Friday at about 6pm.

Kabage is said to have spent his day on Friday at the first annual Mount Kenya High Level Uongozi Forum at Safari Park, where he was a panelist.

Collymore’s memorial

Kabage also attended Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore’s memorial service at All Saints Cathedral on Thursday.

Before his death Kabageserved in various capacities in the business sector. 

In 2017, he vied for the Nakuru senatorial seat and after failing to get a Jubilee ticket, vied for Njoro Constituency seat, but lost to Charity Kathambi.

Kabage served as a director at African Reinsurance Corporation and First Reinsurance Brokers Limited