New twist in Kenei’s death as doctors visit his house in Imara Daima
The Administration Police sergeant attached to Deputy President William Ruto’s office who was found dead on February 20 died of a single contact gunshot wound.
Mystery, however, still surrounds the death after the autopsy, conducted yesterday at the Chiromo mortuary, failed to conclusively establish whether sergeant Kipyegon Kenei committed suicide or was murdered, in his house.
The Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor, assisted by a fellow government pathologist Richard Njoroge, yesterday conducted the postmortem but only established the cause of death and not how it was caused.
“He died due to a single contact gunshot wound that entered the body through the chin and exited on the forehead.
What we have not established is whether it was suicide or homicide,” Dr Oduor said.
Direct contact
He said the muzzle of the firearm that shot the AP officer was in direct contact with the chin at the moment of discharge implying that it could be execution or suicide.
The daunting task of establishing whether it was a case of murder or an intentional self-inflicted death has now started.
Detectives have been trying to reconstruct the scene following reports that the scene had been interfered with, and that the first officers to visit the scene and remove the body did not handle it professionally.
Part of the investigations will involve ballistic analysis to establish whether the gun recovered at the scene, and which had officially been issued to the deceased, was the same gun that discharged the fatal bullet. “To conclusively establish whether the officer was murdered or committed suicide, other investigations will be carried out. We will visit the scene tomorrow (today) as part of the investigations,” Oduor said.
The pathologist said the firearm used was a low velocity, an indication that it could have been a pistol. He added that the body had started decomposing indicating that it could have been there for about two days.
Three other doctors representing the family, detectives from the homicide department, agents from other State security agents and the family members were also present during the autopsy that lasted about two hours.
The pathologist said the body had no physical injuries, an indication that there could have been no struggle.
Swabs were, however, obtained from beneath the fingernails for analysis to establish if he came into contact with anyone.
Dr Oduor said other samples had been taken for toxicological analysis.
Yesterday, the family viewed the body for the first time. The father of the deceased and his siblings broke down as a sombre mood engulfed the funeral home.
Kenei was one of the officers who was on duty on February 13 when former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and two foreigners visited the Harambee House Annex over the fake Sh39 billion arms tender.
Detectives have established that on February 17 the officer went to his residence in Villa Franca around 4.30pm while walking.
The following day he was picked by a neighbour who dropped him at work between 7 and 7.30am and he remained at work the whole day.
Neighbours never saw him from Tuesday evening to Thursday afternoon when his body was found.
