Peter Macharia, millionaire contractor, found dead in stairs of his Kiambu home

A Kiambu court was on Thursday July 5, 2018 told body parts were missing when a postmortem was conducted on the body of a millionaire businessman believed to have died due to strangulation.

Kiambu principal magistrate Justus Kituku heard Peter Macharia’s thyroid cartilage (the organ that form the Adam’s Apple in men) and windpipe were missing so the postmortem examination could not clearly indicate whether he died as a result of strangulation by a rope or he was murdered and a rope strung around his neck to create an impression he committed suicide.

Lawyer Beth Fundi, representing the family of Macharia, informed the court the first postmortem was conducted, but the family was not satisfied and demanded a second.

The second was performed in the presence of all parties including the three pathologists who performed the first. They were all in agreement there were crucial missing body parts, which were strangely not mentioned in the first postmortem report.

The family lawyer told court to compel administrators of Kenyatta University Funeral Home, where the body was preserved and a postmortem conducted, to produce the missing parts and for the police to be enjoined in the matter and a third postmortem be conducted to establish the true cause of death.

The court was asked to grant stay orders that no one should come into contact with the body nor should the body be moved for burial until the body parts are found.

Last Friday, drama unfolded in Gitamaiyu village, Kiambu subcounty,  after a family refused their son to be buried by his wife and refilled a dug out grave and planted a banana tree, saying justice must be done first and the circumstances that led to his death be revealed.

The family who are yet to come to terms with the death of Macharia said their actions were driven by the desire for justice and the truth. He is alleged to have committed suicide infront of his wife.

They said since no one had been arrested and a fresh probe should be done on the circumstances that led to the death.  on Macharia, 43, was found with a rope around his neck in his house on the night of June 18, 2018. His widow Esther Macharia was at home and said her husband committed suicide. She told relatives, she left him watching a World Cup match and went to bed, but when she woke up at about 1am, she found the body in a seated position on the stairs with a rope around his neck.

Neighbour Johanna Machua said that at around 1am, the wife went to his house and told him to accompany her to her home.

Johanna said he found Macharia seated on the stairs with a rope around his neck and that is when he called in the area chief and police were informed and later moved the body to Kenyatta University mortuary.

Macharia’s family said they were shocked that Esther did not scream or inform them or even raised the alarm yet Macharia’s elderly parents live in the same compound.

The family also took the view the police were not taking their concerns seriously and thats why they have had to go to court to block a burial that had been planned by Esther and to get an order for a third postmortem examination.