Pilot Kelvin Wachira /HANDOUT
Detectives have launched a murder investigation into the death of a pilot after an autopsy revealed he sustained a fatal head injury caused by blunt force trauma.
The deceased, identified as Kelvin Wachira, was admitted to Mbagathi Hospital on July 19 after he was found unconscious near the entrance to Nairobi West Prison along Lang’ata Road.
He succumbed to his injuries the following day while undergoing treatment, police and the family said.
His body was moved to the Kenyatta University Funeral Home for a postmortem examination.
However, the pathologist advised the family to
seek police intervention after observing suspicious injuries.
According to police the postmortem was conducted on July 22 in the presence of police officers and established that Wachira had suffered a head injury consistent with blunt force trauma.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the pilot had visited the Nairobi West Prison officers’ mess at around 3 pm on July 19, where he had reportedly gone to take alcohol with friends.
Police say an altercation broke out between Wachira and several individuals at the mess.
A waiter later escorted him to his white Mercedes-Benz, which remained parked within the prison compound.
Investigators believe he subsequently left the vehicle under unclear circumstances before he was found lying unconscious outside the prison entrance along Lang’ata Road by an officer attached to Prison Headquarters who was heading home.
The officer rushed him to Mbagathi Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition before dying the following day.
Detectives also established that the deceased’s vehicle was still parked inside Nairobi West Prison after the incident.
It was later moved to the local police station.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Lang’ata have taken over the case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the altercation and the events that led to the pilot’s fatal injuries.
No arrests had been announced by Tuesday. Police visited the scene and interrogated witnesses as part of the probe.
The team also reviewed security cameras in efforts to trace the assailants.
Wachira who was the son of a senior engineer at the Ministry of Roads and Transport is set to be buried at the family home, today, Tuesday July 28.
His friends and colleagues described him as a jovial and hardworking pilot.
Police handling the matter said they are pursuing several leads on the possible killers.
