The 19-year-old Form 3 student who was killed by forest guards in Baringo county was severely tortured, a postmortem has revealed.
The postmortem conducted by government pathologist Dr Benson Macharia, revealed that Stephen Mwangi died as a result of multiple soft tissue injuries caused by a blunt object.
The postmortem was conducted at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county.
'The injuries were all over his body, from the limbs to the back," Macharia said.
“There were also injuries on the hands which could be indications of defense."
The postmortem was conducted in the presence of the family and police.
Before his death, Mwangi suffered complications in his lungs, medically known as respiratory distress syndrome.
The student died last week while receiving treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit where he had been rushed after the assault.
Mwangi was attacked by Kenya Forest Service rangers when he tried to stop them from sexually harassing his mother in Koibatek forest.
“It’s evident that my son was tortured badly but I leave everything to God even as we continue with burial plans," Mwangi's mother, Mary Wambui, said.
Wambui was at her farm on May 8 with her 11 year old son when she opted to fetch some firewood from the forest.
KFS rangers guarding the forest arrested and handcuffed her.
“One of them demanded that I pay them Sh2,000 failure to which they jail me," she said.
Her plea to have the amount reduced was ignored prompting her to ask her son to call neighbours for more money.
During the arrest, the officers refused to excuse her to relieve herself.
“They asked me to do it in front of my 11-year-old son and when I objected, they said that I am rude. Mwangi arrived in time to find them sexually harassing me,” Wambui said.
When he tried to intervene, they arrested him and tortured him.
Mwangi's death sparked protests from residents who called for the arrest of the five rangers.
