Homicide unit takes over probe into Walibora death after post-mortem

A team of detectives from the homicide unit has taken over investigations into the death of the renowned author and journalist Prof Ken Walibora.

This was after an autopsy on the body showed he had a deep cut between his thumb and index finger which was not caused by the motor vehicle accident. He had also lost two of his teeth and had a blood clot in his head.

Chief Government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor (pictured) said the wound in his hand is not consistent with a road accident.

“He had a cracked jaw on his right side, his right hand was broken and also he had a clot on his right side of the head, and he had lost two teeth. All these are not common with a motor vehicle accident,” says Dr. Oduor.

An injury on his right arm is what Dr. Odour says needs further investigations.

“He had a wound cut caused by a sharp object on the space between his thumb and the index finger which is not familiar with motor vehicle accidents,” said Dr Oduor.

Walibora’s body was found at Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary on Wednesday morning five days after he had died. Police now want to establish events that happened on April 10 morning before he died.

The team of detectives have picked CCTV footage on his movements from Lavington a to Kijabe Street at about 9.30 am where he parked his car on Friday morning. He then walked on foot from Kijabe Street towards downtown.

Family members have told police he was going to look for a lorry to help transport his materials to his rural home.

It was during his movement towards Muthurwa that he may have met trouble. Witnesses say they saw him run across Landhies Road from the right-hand side to the left with a group believed to the thugs chasing him.

“He crossed the first lane running with a group of street children pursuing him. But when he crossed the second one he was hit by a speeding matatu. We did not know it was Walibora,” said a witness.

The gang is believed to have first robbed him of his valuables before an ambulance was called but failed to take him to the hospital upon arrival.

A second ambulance from Nairobi County government later rushed him to Kenyatta National Hospital.

He remained at the hospital’s emergency area without being attended to from about 10.30 am, throughout the day until midnight he passed away.

The postmortem said he may have stayed for more than 12 hours at the emergency unit waiting to be attended to. Medical personnel at the facility fear attending to such patients in this season of coronavirus pandemic.

After his death, the body was moved to the mortuary. It was until April 14 that a street child approached a police officer and handed him a car key and an identification card that they had taken from him on the day of the accident.

This opened up the race to identify the body and the following day the police and his family went to the mortuary and identified it.

His Mercedes Benz car was found parked along Kijabe Street in front of shops. Guards told police it had been lying there for almost four days and had blocked the loading zone to the shops.

The car was driven to the police station.

Nairobi police boss Philip Ndolo said even though he was hit by a speeding vehicle, events leading to the same needed to be investigated.

“We need to know what happened before he was hit by the vehicle. That is why the homicide has taken over,” he said.

Police are yet to recover his mobile phone. They want to know who he talked to before his death.

A memorial service was conducted on Saturday and he will be buried on Wednesday at his rural home in Bonde, Cherangany.