A joint team of detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Homicide Unit and Traffic Department has launched investigations into the death of renowned author Ken Walibora.

This is after a postmortem revealed that he had a deep cut between his thumb and index finger, which was not caused by the motor vehicle accident that killed him.

Chief Government pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor on Saturday said the wound in Walibora’s hand was not consistent with an accident, prompting a further probe.

Preliminary investigations show the author  was being chased by two men before he was involved in an accident.

CCTV footage obtained by the police show the victim fleeing before he was hit by a Double M bus, registration number KBR 949S, along Landhies Road on April 10. 

“He had a cracked jaw on his right side, his right hand was broken and also he had a clot on his right side of the head, and he had lost two teeth all these are common with motor vehicle accident,” said Oduor.

“The cause of death is accident but we suspect the injury on the right arm was sustained before the fatal accident. This needs investigations,” the pathologist told People Daily.

Nairobi Region police boss Philip Ndolo yesterday said even though Walibora was hit by a speeding vehicle, events leading to the same needed to be investigated.

The driver of the Double M bus, George Muturi Mburu, said he never saw Walibora but believed he hit the side of the bus as he was fleeing.

Detectives suspect Walibora was being pursued by attackers who robbed him of his wallet, car keys and mobile phone as they were not recovered at the scene.

However, few hours later, street boys took his press card and car keys to Kamukunji Police Station but the officers just kept them as lost-and-found items.

The officers at the Kamukunji Police Station reportedly never followed up the matter after the author was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), where it is believed he remained unattended to for several hours before he later died.

Walibora’s body was found at the hospital’s mortuary on Wednesday morning, five days after he died.

Detectives have obtained other CCTV footage that captured his movements from Lavington to Kijabe Street where he parked his car around 9am after which he walked downtown.

Find lorry

Family members said Walibora was going to look for a lorry which was to transport construction materials to his rural home in Trans Nzoia county.

Some witnesses told the police they saw him run across Landhies Road, with a group believed to be thugs pursuing him.

“When he fell down, one of the men who was closely pursuing him made a U-turn and escaped towards Muthurwa,” a witness said. 

Walibora’s car, a Mercedes Benz, was found parked along Kijabe Street. According to guards along the street, the car had been lying there for four days.

 The author will be buried this Wednesday at his rural home in Bonde, Cherangany.