Jeff Mwathi family demands fresh probe into cause of his death
Jeff Mwathi's parents Ann Mwathi and Peter Ngugi during a poress breifing at their home in Likia, Njoro sub-county in Nakuru County on May 8, 2023.
The family of the late interior designer Geoffrey Mwathi alias Jeff, who died mysteriously, in Nairobi's Kasarani estate has demanded fresh investigations into the death of their kin.
Jeff died at the home of Mugithi singer Lawrence Njuguna popularly known as DJ Fatxo, at Redwoods apartments in Kasarani, Nairobi.
On Monday evening, the family, which addressed the media at his parents home in Likia, in Njoro, Nakuru County said they are not satisfied with how the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) handled the matter.
"As a family we are not satisfied with the investigations by the DCI. We demand fresh investigations into the mysterious death of my son. The DCI only gave us a verbal report saying Jeff committed suicide. We read mischief in the report," said Mr Peter Ngugi , Jeff's father.
Mr Ngugi said that they were summoned by detectives at the DCI headquarters on May 3, 2023, where they were briefed about the outcome of the investigations-that were ordered by Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki.
In particular, Jeff's father blamed the detectives who were investigating his son’s death for failing to secure the house where the incident occurred,saying that the scene of crime was tampered with.
“The first investigations were done by detectives from Kasarani and later it was taken over by DCI and homicide detectives. We are pleading with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to consider that the scene was not secured since the first day and the evidence was tampered with. We feel that those who were in during the incident were also coached when giving out their statements,” he said
He said that the investigations failed to establish who closed the window that Jeff was suspected to have 'jumped' through, saying that the caretaker of the apartment reported that all the windows were closed when the body was discovered outside.
Jeff Mwathi (left) who allegedly died outside Kikuyu entertainer DJ Fatxo's (right) house in Nairobi. Inset is Mwathi's burial in Nakuru.
According to Mr Ngugi officers retrieved a stained pillow from DJ Faxto’s room, suspected to have been used during the murder of his son, but officers ruled that it was sweat without considering taking it to the government chemist to establish its components and whose it was.
“The investigations failed to answer so many questions. We would like fresh investigations into my son’s death. As a family we were not given the second autopsy report. We were just told they were being taken for further tests but since then we have not received any results. We want justice,” he said
Jeff’s mother Ms Ann Mwathi said that DCI accused them of trusting the media, saying that they were publishing propaganda. She maintained that his son was killed and yet the perpetrators are roaming freely.
"What pained me is that they came and exhumed my son’s remains and nothing has come out of the autopsy. My son's killers should have been arrested by now to shed light on what transpired the night he was killed. I went through a hard time after they exhumed his remains then, at the end they say that is no evidence.I am heart broken,” said the mother.
His uncle Mr Stephen Mwathi wondered how could Jeff wake up from the bed, open the window, jump and close it, yet it was said that he was drunk.
He said that they were informed that on the night of the incident, Dj Faxto called his driver to pick him up at an entertainment joint as he was too drunk to drive, however the CCTV footage showed Dj Faxto driving back to the apartment.
According to him the CCTV footage showed the driver and Dj Faxto’s cousin being dropped by an Uber.
While Faxto came in with Mwathi and three ladies.He wondered why Dj Faxto later opted to drop the three girls and yet his driver was still in the house.
He blamed detectives for doing a shoddy investigation saying that the family will not get justice despite losing their kin in a mysterious way.
“They said that Jeff was the only one who was drinking in the house but the CCTV footage showed there was tension in the ladies faces and yet they were not doing anything. We just want justice over his death.We don't want such happening to another person in future," he said.
On March 31, Jeff's body was exhumed by detectives from the DCI for a fresh autopsy and fresh investigations into his mysterious death.
Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor conducted an autopsy, that revealed that the late interior designer died died due to severe head and limbs' injuries.
Dr Oduor established the late Jeff had severe head injuries, fractures on the upper and lower limbs and on the neck.
"After the autopsy, l have established that the body had severe head injuries that almost raptured the skull and it also had fractures in the upper and lower limbs and on the neck," stated Dr Oduor.
"We have taken more samples to carry out a toxicology test and also to establish if he was sexually molested before he met his death," further said Oduor.
A week earlier, DCI boss Mohamed Amin had joined a team probing the murder, where he directed that the body be exhumed for a second and fresh autopsy.
Mr Amin visited the scene where Mwathi died, in Roysambu, as detectives collected more information that they said, will aid in the investigations into his death.
Mr Amin was accompanied by detectives from the homicide unit.
He said he visited the scene to understand what happened, with many questions that emerged about circumstances surrounding Jeff's mysterious death.
On February 22, 2023, the 23-year-old Geoffrey Mwathi, lost his life after falling from the 12th floor of Redwood Apartments in Kasarani, the home of singer DJ Fatxo.
Jeff had spent the day with the singer before they went to his home at Redwoods apartment.
