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'Body by Design' clinic owners, doctor freed on Sh500,000 cash bail in cosmetic surgery death case

A surgeon Dr Robert Maweu Mutula (right) and proprietors of body by design health clinic George Njoroge and Lilian Wanjiru at the Kibera law courts on April 15, 2025, where they have  been charged with unlawfully killing Lucy Wambui Kamau on October 16 2025.

Photo credit: Richard Munguti| Nation Media Group

A medical doctor and the proprietors of 'Body By Design' clinic charged with unlawfully killing a woman who sought cosmetic surgery at the institution have been released on a Sh1 million bond each, with one surety of a similar amount.

Kibera Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Samson Temu also gave the surgeon, Dr Robert Maweu Mutula, George Wakaria Njoroge, and Lilian Edna Wanjiru Mwariri of Omnicare Medical Limited alias Body By Design an alternative cash bail of Sh500,000 each.

Releasing the accused, Mr Temu concurred with Senior Counsel Erick Mutua, representing Dr Mutula, that bond can only be denied when there are compelling reasons presented by the prosecution.

“This court finds that the pre-bail report presented is in favour of the accused persons, who have undertaken to appear in court when required to face trial,” Mr Temu stated in his ruling.

The magistrate, on April 3, 2025, had called for an impact assessment report from the victims—the widower, children of the deceased (Lucy Wambui Kamau), and other relatives—on how the incident affected their lives.

Mr Temu said that, in interviews with the probation office, the victims claimed the loss of their loved one had deeply affected them. However, they urged the court to exercise its discretion according to the law.

Dr Mutula, Njoroge, and Wanjiru are charged with unlawfully killing Lucy Wambui Kamau on October 16, 2024.

The accused have denied the charges.

Wambui died after undergoing a liposuction 360/BBL procedure at the health facility.

Mr Mutua, a former president of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), who took over Dr Mutula’s defence from lawyers Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui, Cliff Ombeta, and Samson Nyaberi, asked the court to release the medic on bond, stating that “his services are required by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers injured during training or armed conflict.”

In evidence filed in court to support the bond application, Mr Mutua informed the magistrate that the accused is a surgeon working at the Department of Defence (DoD). He is also the chairperson of St. John Ambulance Kenya.

“As the chairperson of St John Ambulance, which offers services to the Kenyan public, his continued detention is not only a violation of his constitutional rights but also negatively impacts the state and the public,” Mr Mutua stated.

He further argued that Dr Mutula is likely to suffer double jeopardy, as both the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Director of Public Prosecutions have filed cases against him.

Mr Mutua said KMPDC is the proper body to handle the matter, noting that the deceased had been fully informed of all possible outcomes and had signed the necessary documentation before the procedure.

In his ruling, Mr Temu said the balance of convenience tilted in favour of the accused and granted them bond. He scheduled the case for mention on April 28, 2025, for pre-trial directions.

The court was also informed by the previous defence lawyers that the Level 3B medical facility—duly incorporated and registered with the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board and located on Kabasiran Avenue, Nairobi County—has since been closed following the incident.