The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed the circumstances surrounding the passing of a diplomat from the Kenya High Commission in the UK.
In a recent meeting with the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations, Ambassador Raphael Maikara relayed information from Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi about the incident involving diplomat David Karira Gatuthu. Pressed by Kinangop MP Hon. Kwenya Thuku about the mysterious demise of the late officer, Maikara revealed in his response that Gatuthu took his own life. The ambassador detailed how several days prior, Gatuthu had checked into a hospital in London after displaying symptoms of depression.
The London Metropolitan Police were prompted to search for him after he escaped from Barnet Hospital on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Immediately after learning of Gatuthu’s death, the Foreign Affairs Ministry acted expeditiously to deploy a team to the United Kingdom to explore the matter. The team completed its mission, meeting with officials from both the High Commission and the UK government and determined that an inquest would be necessary to receive a conclusive ruling.
An inquest analyzes the circumstances surrounding an incident, especially negative, to establish the truth. The UK still holds the deceased body pending their own authorities’ completion of an inquiry, deviating from February’s reports indicating that the counsellor had died due to an illness.
“My sincere condolences to the family of one of our Foreign and Diaspora Affairs staff David Gatuthu, who passed away while on posting after a short illness,” then Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua stated at the time.
