Pathologist Dismisses Police Theory in Kianjokoma Brothers’ Deaths

Kianjokoma brothers.

A government pathologist has cast doubt on the police account that the late Benson Njiru Ndwiga and his younger brother Emmanuel Mutura died after jumping from a moving police vehicle, telling a Nairobi court their injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma.

Appearing as the seventh prosecution witness, the doctor said he performed postmortem examinations on August 5, 2021, at Embu Level 5 Hospital, in the presence of relatives and investigators.

On Emmanuel, 19, the pathologist described the body as well preserved, dressed in a green T-shirt, black trousers, multicolored socks and blue-and-white innerwear.

He had extensive bruising on the face and neck, blood seeping from the ears and nose, and multiple fractures across the skull. The brain was severely lacerated.

The doctor ruled that he died of head injuries caused by blunt trauma, stressing that his clothes were intact, which did not support the theory of a fall.

On Benson, 22, the older sibling, the court was told he wore a blood-stained jumper, maroon T-shirt, grey-black trousers and black socks.

His injuries included a dislocated shoulder, broken leg bones, fractured ribs, and extensive skull damage. Drag marks were also visible on his body.

The doctor concluded that Benson succumbed to multiple injuries inflicted by blunt force.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Danstan Omari pressed the witness on whether a fall from a moving vehicle could cause similar injuries.

The pathologist acknowledged the possibility, but pointed out that such accidents usually leave rolling marks, torn clothing and more localized injuries – features that were absent in the brothers’ case.

The siblings died on the night of August 1, 2021, after being arrested in Kianjokoma, Embu County, for allegedly breaking COVID-19 curfew rules. Their bodies were discovered days later, sparking protests in Embu and national outrage over alleged police brutality.

Six officers were later arrested and charged with murder.

The case is ongoing at the Milimani High Court, where the latest testimony has strengthened the prosecution’s claim that the deaths were not accidental