Postmortem raises more questions on woman’s death after Kirinyaga police vehicle saga
Catherine Mwende, 48, died after being thrown from a police vehicle in Mugambaciura village, Kirinyaga County.
A postmortem has revealed that a woman who was given a lift in a police vehicle died from multiple injuries caused by blunt-force trauma in Mugambaciura village, Kirinyaga County.
Lead pathologist Dr Peter Ndegwa, representing the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), said the 48-year-old Catherine Mwende suffered fractures to her head, ribs and spine, injuries consistent with a fall from a moving vehicle.
“The fractures were on the ribs on both sides, head and spine. The victim was also bleeding from the brain and had chest injuries. It is possible she fell from a moving vehicle, but the matter is subject to investigations,” Dr Ndegwa said at the Embu Referral Hospital mortuary.
He was accompanied by Dr Rosemary Wangari of Embu Referral Hospital.
Catherine Mwende, 48, died after being thrown from a police vehicle in Mugambaciura village, Kirinyaga County.
Contrary to initial reports, the pathologists also established that Ms Mwende was not pregnant.
“Ms Mwende was not pregnant, but we established that she had fibroids,” Dr Ndegwa said.
The postmortem findings came as calls intensified for investigations into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Vocal Africa chief executive officer Hussein Khalid called for legal action against any officers found to have been involved in her death.
He urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to thoroughly investigate the matter and prosecute any officers found culpable.
Mr Khalid alleged that police officers in the area had been mistreating residents instead of protecting them.
“The information we have is that police officers in that particular area are used to asking for money for transport. It is very shocking and extremely disappointing that officers are using police vehicles for transport and then charging for those services. In the event that people don’t pay, they are thrown out of the vehicles. We want the matter investigated and the officers charged in court,” he said.
Catherine Mwende, 48, died after being thrown from a police vehicle in Mugambaciura village, Kirinyaga County.
Last week, Ms Mwende and her husband Anthony Muturi were travelling to their farm when a police vehicle approached, and officers offered them a lift.
According to Mr Muturi, the officers refused to stop when they reached their destination and instead demanded Sh1,000 for fuel.
The couple said they did not have the money, leading to an argument.
Mr Muturi said he then asked the officers to allow them to alight.
He alleged that one of the officers seated at the back of the vehicle attacked him and threw him out while the vehicle was moving.
“The officer kept kicking me on the head when I insisted that we must alight. Suddenly, he pushed me out of the vehicle and I fell on the ground and became unconscious. They thought I was dead and sped off with my wife,” he said.
When Mr Muturi regained consciousness, he followed the vehicle and later found his wife’s lifeless body by the roadside.
“I walked for about 500 metres, limping because of injuries to my legs, and came across my wife lying in a pool of blood,” he said.
Mr Muturi called on the government to ensure that any officers responsible for his wife’s death face justice.
“All I want is justice, now that there is evidence that my wife was killed in a cruel manner,” he said.
Mr Muturi said he suffered injuries to his hands and legs after being thrown from the vehicle. He was treated at Murinduko Dispensary and discharged.
He later reported the incident at Piai Police Post and recorded a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) at Wang’uru Police Station.
Following the incident, scores of residents staged protests demanding justice.
They barricaded the Piai-Murinduko road, causing tension in the area.
Calm was later restored after Mwea Sub-County Police Commander Henry Gitonga assured residents that the matter was under investigation and that there would be no cover-up.
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