• Waiganjo was the younger sister of Joshua Waiganjo, who was arrested in January 2013 after allegedly posing as an assistant commissioner of police for five years.
• The courts, however, acquitted him.
Image: HANDOUT
Head of Karen DCI had blood clot in her leg that caused heart attack, PM shows
Karen head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCIO) Anne Waiganjo succumbed to deep vein thrombosis, a postmortem conducted on her body has revealed.
The autopsy was conducted on Thursday.
Government chief pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor, who conducted the autopsy at the Kenyatta University Funeral Home, said Waiganjo had a blood clot in her left leg, which affected her heart function.
Police and the family attended the event.
“She had deep vein thrombosis, which led to pulmonary embolism, a clot in the pulmonary artery,” Dr Oduor said.
Waiganjo will be buried on Friday at her Karatina home, Nyeri, her colleagues said.
Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in one’s body, usually in legs.
Deep vein thrombosis can cause leg pain or swelling but also can occur with no symptoms.
One can get DVT if she or he has certain medical conditions that affect how blood clots.
A blood clot in one's legs can also happen if one does not move for a long time, such as after surgery or an accident, when travelling a long distance, or when on bed rest.
Many things can increase one’s risk of developing the condition including age, injury or surgery, pregnancy, obesity, smoking, family history, heart failure, among others.
Pulmonary embolism (PE), which killed Waiganjo, is a potentially life-threatening complication associated with DVT.
Doctors say it occurs when a blood vessel in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot (thrombus) that travels to the lung from another part of your body, usually the leg.
Waiganjo collapsed on Saturday at Baita Restaurant in Upper Hill, where she had attended a farewell party organised for outgoing Makadara DCI officer Henry Kiambati.
According to her colleagues, who were present, Waiganjo had complained of chest pains shortly before collapsing.
The deceased was the younger sister of Joshua Waiganjo, who was arrested in January 2013 after allegedly posing as an assistant commissioner of police for five years.
The courts, however, acquitted him.