Former Kabete MP George Muchai died out of multiple injuries caused by a single gunshot, a pathologist in his murder trial has said.
Dr Johansen Oduor, the prosecution's 35th witness, said Muchai was shot at close range with either a G3 rifle or AK47 gun. He ruled out any possibilities of a shotgun.
He told trial judge Justus Bwonwong'a that the gunshot entered through the right side of his abdomen all the way to his right nipple.
"The area was blackened, meaning burning of the skin around the entry caused by fragments of metal and gunpowder," the witness said.
Muchai was dressed in a stained black suit at the time his body was taken to Lee Funeral Home in February 2015, for postmortem. He had a white shirt and a white vest.
Oduor said he had lost a lot of blood which explained the pale condition his body was in. He had rib fractures and there was bleeding on both sides of his chest.
The doctor explained that Muchai’s heart was mildly enlarged. He assumed he might have been hypertensive. His liver weighed 1,500 grams meaning it was fatty. His stomach was normal, it contained food. His kidneys had features of nephropathy.
"This is a feature seen in people who have hypertension or diabetes," he said. The doctor also took samples from his liver, kidney, blood, stomach and other organs for a toxicology examination.
He said he found it necessary to do so to know the level of alcohol in Muchai’s blood. He wanted to know whether he was too intoxicated to react. The doctor has however never received the results of the toxicology examination to date.
He however clarified that the absence of the results couldn't have made a difference in the cause of death. The witness also gave evidence regarding the postmortem of one of Muchai’s bodyguards—Samwel Kimathi.
Kimathi, according to Dr Oduor, had a bruise on the right side of his head. The bullet that killed him exited at the area of the left shoulder blade. The doctor concluded that Kimathi died as a result of chest injuries from a single gunshot at close range. Further hearing proceeds on Wednesday.
Muchai, his driver Stephen Wambugu and two bodyguards police constable Samwel Lekakeny and Kimathi were killed on the morning of February 7, 2015, in Nairobi.
Those facing the murder charges are Eric Isabwa alias chairman, Raphael Kimani alias Kim Butcher, Mustapha Kimani alias Musto, Stephen Astiva alias Chokore, Jane Wanjiru alias Shiro, Margaret Njeri and Simon Wambugu.
An officer who has since testified in the case said the gunfire on Muchai’s car took less than one minute.
AP sergeant Saverio Mugo was the first police officer to go to the scene of crime. He told the judge that he was on night duty at Nyayo House when the incident happened.
Mugo said he was with his four colleagues and at 3am they heard continuous gunshots coming from Uhuru Highway and Kenyatta Avenue roundabout that lasted less than one minute.
Even though he did not witness the shooting he said the gunshots they heard happened so fast and in quick succession. He testified that together with two other officers they decided to go check and left one of them to keep guard.
When he arrived at the scene, he saw the MP’s car had gunshots and there was a second saloon car parked behind it. “In the car, I saw four men and there was blood all over inside the vehicle,” he said.
Mugo further said he then called one of his bosses to explain what had happened and shortly two police officers in uniform joined them.