Pathologists tell court Jeff Mwathi was not sexually assaulted
Two key witnesses in the death of Jeff Mwathi, retired government pathologist Peter Ndegwa and pathologist Johnsen Oduor, have revealed to the court that the deceased was not sexually assaulted.
Appearing before Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Doctor Ndegwa, who was the first pathologist to handle Jeff’s body when he died, stated that there was no evidence of sexual assault.
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During a cross-examination by lawyer Duncan Okatch, representing Lawrence Njuguna, alias DJ Fatxo, who is a person of interest in the matter, he enquired from the doctor if, in his findings, there was any form of sexual assault on the deceased’s body.
“Did you find any evidence of sexual assault?” lawyer Okatch asked pathologist Ndegwa.
In his response, Doctor Ndegwa said “no”.
Pathologist Johansen Oduor, who performed the second autopsy on March 31, 2023, at Jeff’s graveside days after he was buried, also tendered his evidence in court.
Oduor revealed that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) wrote to his office seeking for a second autopsy to be conducted by his office.
Also watch: Jeff Mwathi’s body exhumed
Further, he told the court that after the procedure, he did not find anything that would suggest the deceased was sexually assaulted before his death.
You took rectal swabs; at this particular point, did you establish that would suggest sexual abuse?” lawyer Okatch asked pathologist Oduor.
“No, no,” Doctor Oduor replied.
On August 11, 2025, the defence lawyer, Okatch, told the court that there was no issue during the deceased’s burial, and the ceremony proceeded with no issues at all.
However, he further pointed out that issues came up weeks after the late Jeff was buried, when social media was ablaze with different theories on the cause of the deceased’s death.
“Let me demonstrate to you where these issues started. After the burial, everything was quiet until social media one day was ablaze with a lot of theories, and this is captured in this particular application by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Lawyer Okatch then referred the court to an affidavit by Corporal Philip Kilonzo, deposed on March 27, 2023, in criminal application No. E117 of 2023.
Samidoh testifies
He then directed a popular Mugithi artist, Samuel Muchoki, alias Samidoh, who is a witness and had tendered his testimony in court, to read paragraph 10 of the affidavit.
“That a section in social media in Kenya has claimed that the deceased was sexually assaulted before his death,” Samidoh read to the court.
Samidoh also proceeded to confirm that the said allegations were indeed trending on social media platforms.
The sexual assault allegations led to the exhuming of the deceased’s body for another autopsy to be conducted.
“There is someone, my brother, lawyer Danstan Omari. I’m happy he is the one who said it. There is a senator by the name Karen Nyamu. Do you know that person?” ‘Okatch?’ asked Samidoh.
“Yes, I do,” Samidoh replied.
The lawyer then stated that around 2023, when these issues had cropped up, the two were close to each other.
In his response, Samidoh asked lawyer Okatch, “How close?”
Okatch then told him that he was the one to tell the court how close they were.
“How were you close? Was she a friend? “How, or maybe she is still a friend? Lawyer Okatch asked Samidoh again.
“Probably more than a friend,” Samidoh replied.
He then said, “Ah, I’m happy you are the one who has said it, probably more than a friend,” Okatch added.
He revealed that Senator Nyamu was at the forefront, giving different analogies of how, according to her, Jeff Mwathi died on social media.
However, Samidoh said that everyone talked about Jeff’s death on social media.
He also told the court that the second autopsy requested by the family did not indicate any sexual assault of the deceased.
The inquest proceeds on October 23, 2025, with two more witnesses: the family pathologist, who could not tender his evidence because he is in South Africa, and a crime scene expert.
