By TONY MUSISI
A truck driver whose partially decomposed body was found dumped near Timboroa township cemetery along the busy Eldoret–Nakuru highway was strangled to death, a pathologist has told the High Court in Eldoret.
Dr Philip Kamau, who conducted a postmortem examination on the body of Paul Gitau Njenga at Marigat Sub-county Hospital mortuary, said the deceased died from strangulation.
The examination also revealed deep wounds on the left side of the forehead, suggesting that the driver may have been struck with a blunt object.
“My opinion after conducting the postmortem examination on the body of the deceased is that the cause of his death is strangulation,” the government pathologist told the court.
Kamau was testifying virtually before Justice Martha Mutuku in a murder case in which four suspects, including the deceased’s estranged wife, are accused of killing him.
The accused persons are Nancy Wangui Gitau, Stephen Kariuki, John Mburu and Daniel Muriuki, alias Karis. They are in custody and have denied the murder charges.
The charge sheet states that the four, jointly with others who are not before the court, murdered Paul Gitau Njenga between April 9 and 10, 2024, in Burnt Forest township, Ainabkoi Sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
Two prosecution witnesses have testified so far, with 11 others, including the deceased’s daughter, yet to give their evidence.
At the centre of the case is the deceased’s estranged wife, Nancy Gitau, who is alleged to have enlisted her co-accused in a plan to kill her husband.
According to court documents, the couple had a longstanding domestic dispute, with the wife frequently accusing her husband of infidelity and failing to provide for the family.
The deceased reportedly left home on the evening of April 9, 2024, but did not return.
Three days later, members of the public discovered his partially decomposed body near Timboroa cemetery along the Eldoret–Nakuru highway.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations at Burnt Forest Police Station responded to reports from members of the public and proceeded to the scene.
They found the body lying in the cemetery, with visible injuries to the left side of the forehead, neck and both knees.
The body was taken to Marigat Sub-county Hospital mortuary for preservation and a postmortem examination.
The hearing was adjourned to November 30, 2026, for further proceedings.
