The inquest into the death of Keroche heiress Tecra Muigai on Wednesday, July 14, took a twist after a key witness made contradicting testimony while under oath.
Quswai Lali, a brother to Tecra's boyfriend Omar Lali, took the stand and gave testimony that was markedly different from what he earlier told the police on the night the deceased died.
Quswai stated his brother called him at around 5.45 am asking him to go to his place immediately.
“I was surprised because it is rare for Lali to call that early. Since his place is around four minutes walk from my house, I got there almost immediately.
"At the end of the first fleet on the staircase, I saw Tecra on the floor facing up. Lali looked worried and confused,” Quswai explained.
From his previous statements at the police station, Quswai argued said Omar had only pointed at a spot where Tecra fell before carrying her to their room - a statement he now denied.
Quswai stated they never reported the matter to the police since they thought it was a minor injury and called a doctor instead.
“I called a doctor, May Makau, who advised us to take the deceased to the dispensary. Tecra was still bleeding from the left ear and there were some blood spots near her,” he confirmed.
Quswai stated that Lali called their in-law, Ali Bakari, to come help them take Tecra to the nearby Shela dispensary.
“Bakari came with two people and after placing her on plastic chairs, we carried her to the dispensary. After she stabilized, we took her to King Fahad hospital by speed boat,” he confirmed.
According to him, Tecra was drunk at the time and the attending doctor attended to her to reduce the alcohol level in her blood.
He confirmed to the court that he had never seen Lali and Tecra fight since they were so much in love.
According to government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor the victim possibly died from being hit by a blunt object as well as a possible fall.
“In the case of Tecra, the only major injury was on the head, with a minor bruise on the left upper arm and on the knees. As expected there should have been abrasions and bruises on other parts of the body or even possibly a fracture on the legs and arms,” Oduor confirmed.
He confirmed there was no chemically toxic substance detected in the postmortem specimen and concluded that Tecra died of severe brain injuries which were caused by blunt force trauma.
The court is listening to the matter to determine if there was foul play in Tecra's death. The matter was taken to court after the deceased's family alleged that the deceased was murdered by her elderly boyfriend - an allegation denied by Omar.
