A pathologist told the High Court that the injuries sustained by the Kianjokoma brothers, whose deaths sparked national outrage in 2021, were inconsistent with claims that they jumped from a moving police vehicle.
Testifying before lady Justice Margaret Muigai, the witness said she performed postmortem examinations on Emmanuel Mutura (19) and Benson Njiru (22) on August 5, 2021 at Embu Level 5 Hospital.
Her findings pointed to severe blunt force trauma as the cause of death in both cases.
For Emmanuel, the doctor reported extensive bruising to the face, multiple segmented fractures of the skull, and lacerations to the brain.
Blood was also found oozing from his ears and nostrils.
She said that Emmanuel’s clothing a green T-shirt, black trousers and multicoloured socks was intact, with no tears or abrasions.
“Ordinarily, a fall from a moving vehicle would result in localized injuries and torn clothing. These findings do not support that explanation,” she told the court.
Benson’s body, he said, bore a dislocated shoulder and knee, compound leg fractures, multiple rib fractures and severe skull injuries.
There were no defensive wounds, but a dragging pattern was visible on his body, suggesting contact with a rough surface.
His cause of death was recorded as multiple injuries from blunt force trauma.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Danstan Omari, representing three of the accused officers, pressed the pathologist on whether a fall could still cause multiple injuries.
The witness conceded it was possible but insisted that Emmanuel’s widespread skull fractures were not consistent with a single-point impact.
“Our findings are excluding falling from a motor vehicle,” court was told.
“When you are falling from a vehicle you hit the floor the impact would be on one part but he had multiple segmented fractures on the scalp which were not consistent with that one impact of falling from a moving vehicle.”
Six police officers Benson Mputhia, Consolata Kariuki, Nicholas Cheruiyot, Martin Wanyama, Lilian Chemuna and James Mwaniki are charged with murdering the two brothers.
They were arrested on August 17, 2021 after public protests erupted in Embu and across the country, with demonstrators demanding accountability.
Police initially claimed the brothers jumped out of a police Land Cruiser on the night of August 1, 2021 while being transported to custody for alleged curfew violations.
But the pathologist told the court the injuries simply did not match that version of events.
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