This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
Moi University Student's Death: Postmortem Rules Out Suicide ¶
On December 14, 2019, the body of 23-year-old Japheth Mungai, a second-year student at Moi University, was found hanging from a rafter in one of the lecture rooms on the main campus.
According to the police, Mungai had committed suicide. However, a postmortem examination carried out by pathologist Benson Macharia at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital revealed that the student had died due to asphyxia, a condition arising when the body is deprived of oxygen, simply known as suffocation.
Pathologist Macharia stated that there were no marks on Mungai's neck, suggesting that he may have been killed by someone else before being hanged. The pathologist also noted that the deceased's lungs were hyper-inflated, which could have contributed to the suffocation.
“Suicide claims might have been stage-managed because no notable injuries were seen in the neck to indicate that the deceased committed suicide,” said Macharia.
Uasin Gishu county police commander, Johnstone Ipara, stated that some people had already recorded statements in connection with Mungai's death, and the police were still searching for his friends who had gone missing.
It is not clear how Mungai was still in the institution, as he had been sent home a month ago after a strike. His parents, Charles Kinyajui and Monica Mungai, are now crying for justice, alleging that their son's death was foul play.
Monica stated that her son had left their home in Nyahururu, Laikipia county, on December 10 to collect his belongings from the university. He lost communication with the family until December 14, when he was found dead.
