What autopsy revealed about Dr Job Obwaka’s death
By Aloys Michael, May 6, 2026An autopsy has revealed that renowned gynaecologist and former Nairobi Hospital board member Job Obwaka died from cardiac arrest.
The post-mortem, conducted on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at Lee Funeral Home, identified cardiac arrest as the immediate cause of death, with indications that it was linked to an underlying heart condition.
Family representative Joseph Ndungu confirmed the findings, while noting that additional tests are still underway to establish greater clarity.
“However, a toxicology report is still being conducted to determine the exact cause,” Ndungu said.
He added that the family is in agreement with the initial findings of the examination.
According to the family, Obwaka suffered cardiac arrest that led to a sudden loss of consciousness and ultimately his death.
Even so, investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) continue, with detectives pursuing a possible poisoning angle.
Authorities say the incident may have occurred at a woman’s residence, where Obwaka was last seen before collapsing. The woman has since been detained as a person of interest.
The speed at which the post-mortem findings were released has raised questions, coming shortly after prosecutors had sought 14 days to allow for comprehensive investigations, including toxicological analysis.
“There are certain samples that are to be forwarded to the government analyst, and possibly as a result of two tests or examinations, maybe subsequently a mental assessment examination,” the prosecutor said earlier.
According to court filings, investigators collected samples from a residence in Milimani Estate believed to be critical to the case.
However, the defence dismissed the claims, arguing that earlier searches had yielded no evidence of poisoning and that further sample collection would be excessive.
Beyond the circumstances of his death, Obwaka is remembered for his role in the governance disputes within the Kenya Hospital Association (KHA), which has a stake in Nairobi Hospital.
Just weeks before his death in March 2026, he and three other directors had been arrested and charged with conflict of interest, failure to file financial statements between 2022 and 2024, and falsification of membership records.
The group maintained that the arrests were politically motivated, describing them as harassment by government operatives aimed at forcing a management takeover.