Kariobangi North Member of County Assembly Joel Munuve died due to a blood clot and lack of sufficient oxygen, government pathologist Johansen Oduor has revealed.
Munuve died on Tuesday, April 22, while undergoing treatment at a private hospital located along Kiambu Road. The MCA had been rushed to hospital after he collapsed while conducting his duties at his ward office in Nairobi.
His death became the subject of controversy as it occurred just three days after he announced his intention to collect signatures to impeach Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
Notably, the Kariobangi North MCA, elected as an independent candidate in a space largely controlled by party politics, was a relentless watchdog in an environment many viewed as compromised.
In the aftermath of his death, family lawyer Danstan Omari revealed that seven pathologists would be present during the postmortem exercise.
In an official statement to the press, the lawyer revealed that the controversy that surrounded the MCA's death necessitated the high number of pathologists, with over 15 forensic officers from the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Leading the team will be the government Pathologist Johansen Oduor alongside six other pathologists from interested parties in the case, including the Nairobi County Government and Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino.
"The team will be led by Johansen Oduor, with six other pathologists appointed by the family, the hospital where he was pronounced dead, the county assembly of Nairobi, the Nairobi County Office, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino", Omari revealed.
An initial postmortem planned for Thursday, April 24, took a twist after it was postponed after detectives from the DCI and other interested parties sought to be involved in the case.
For his part, Sakaja cautioned against politicising the death of his fierce critic with speculation mounting over what really led to Munuve’s passing. While speaking on Citizen TV on Wednesday, April 24, Sakaja revealed that investigations were underway to determine the circumstances leading to his demise.
“Death is a very serious thing, and it is not something we can play with or politicise. He was very firm and passionate about the issues he believed in. But what we want to allay this political speculation is a full investigation into what happened,” he further stated.
Munuve was a vocal critic of Sakaja, frequently seeking answers on various county projects and was at the forefront of demanding transparency. His demise came shortly after he had requested a statement over Sakaja’s “Dishi na County” school feeding program.
He also advocated for the transfer of Mama Margaret Kenyatta Hospital back to the national government to function as a satellite facility of the Kenyatta National Hospital. He had written letters to President William Ruto, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, and Sakaja over the poor service at the hospital.
