This archive report was first published on 26 October 2021.
On October 19, 2013, Martin Koome was arrested at the Baba Dogo Estate in Nairobi and detained at the Ruaraka Police Station following a domestic quarrel. His wife, Peninah Nkuene Kaumbuthu, has now filed a lawsuit against the government seeking compensation for her husband's death.
According to the lawsuit, filed through the International Justice Mission (ICJ), Kaumbuthu is suffering alongside their children due to the loss of her husband. Lawyer Ruth Kihuria stated, “Her husband was a young man with a family and was at the prime of his life and enjoyed good health. As a result of his death, the wife and his dependents have suffered pain, loss, and damage and are seeking to be compensated.”
On October 20, 2013, Koome was taken to a nearby clinic but was transferred to the Kenyatta National Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. The next day, Kaumbuthu visited the hospital and found her husband unattended on a bench, unable to walk, with severe head injuries and blood oozing from his ears. He died a few hours later.
Former Ruaraka OCS Nahashon Mutua was subsequently sentenced to death after being found guilty of murder by High Court judge Stella Mutuku. However, Kaumbuthu alleges that Mutua did not act alone and was aided by other officers who have yet to face disciplinary action.
Despite Mutua's conviction, Kaumbuthu claims to have received death threats during the murder trial and was forced to relocate to a foreign country for her safety. She has since developed anxiety disorder and psychological trauma due to the loss of her husband and father to their children.
On October 26, 2021, the International Justice Mission (ICJ) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kaumbuthu, seeking an investigation into the incident and compensation for her family's suffering.
