An autopsy report has contradicted earlier claims that the Kianjokoma brothers, Benson Njiru Ndwiga and Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga, died after jumping from a moving police vehicle. The government pathologist, Rosemary Wangari Kamau, who conducted the autopsy at Embu Level Five Hospital, presented evidence that the brothers’ deaths were caused by severe head injuries, not a fall from a moving vehicle.
The tragic incident occurred on August 1, 2021, at the Kianjokoma Trading Centre in the midst of curfew enforcement. Initial reports suggested that the brothers had been arrested by police officers and subsequently jumped from the vehicle in an attempt to flee. However, pathologist Wangari’s findings paint a different picture. She testified that both Emmanuel and Benson sustained blunt force trauma resulting from extensive head injuries, including multiple skull fractures and severe facial injuries. Their heads were severely deformed, and their arms bore noticeable bruising.
Wangari noted that the nature of the injuries was inconsistent with those that would result from jumping from a moving vehicle. She explained that falls from such vehicles typically lead to fractures in specific areas of the body, such as limbs or localized areas of the head, but not the widespread and global injuries observed on the brothers. She further emphasized that the brothers’ skulls were fractured in numerous areas, including the face, which suggested they had been subjected to blunt force trauma, not a fall.
The pathologist also mentioned that when she initially received the case, it had been categorized as a road traffic accident, but upon conducting the autopsy, she found the injuries to be far more severe and widespread than would be expected from a fall.
The six police officers who were allegedly involved in the brothers’ deaths Benson Mputhia, Consolata Kariuki, Nicholas Cheruiyot, Martin Wanyama, Lilian Chemuna, and James Mwaniki are facing murder charges. The case has drawn widespread attention, as the Kianjokoma brothers’ deaths have sparked outrage and calls for justice. The latest autopsy results add another layer to the investigation, challenging the earlier narrative of their deaths and raising further questions about the actions of the officers involved.
