This archive report was first published on 14 July 2021.
Published on July 14, 2021, a court in Kenya heard testimony from three doctors who concluded that the death of Keroche Breweries heiress Tecra Muigai was caused by severe head injuries inflicted with a blunt object.
Prof Emily Adhiambo Rogena, a top pathologist, testified that Tecra died from head injuries caused by blunt force trauma. Dr Bakar Mohamed Bakar of the Coast General Hospital and Dr Esther Matu also backed the finding.
Dr Bakar, who first attended to Tecra at the King Fahad Hospital in Lamu, said Tecra's fiancé, Mr Omar Lali, initially told him that Tecra had fallen down a flight of stairs while drunk. However, further examination revealed that the brain injury was not consistent with a fall.
Prof Rogena described the injuries as severe, with blood oozing from Tecra's left ear and a vacuum in the left side of the skull. The pathologist explained that the brain had shifted from the left to the right side, and the front of the brain had begun to rot due to the injury.
Dr Bakar recalled Tecra screaming from the pain and blood oozing from her left ear. Her clothes had blood stains, and even the bed sheets she lay on when taken to hospital were bloodstained.
Dr Matu of the Nairobi Hospital, who flew to Lamu to evacuate Tecra in an Air Ambulance, said Tecra was confused and incoherent, contradicting Mr Lali's claim that she was taking herself to the toilet with little assistance.
Police brought Mr Lali and two other men into the courtroom, as they had failed to honour summonses to appear in court. The court had issued a warrant of arrest against them.
