Missing Heart Case of Former Nairobi Police Chief to Resume in Court July 22

A case centred on the disappearance of the heart of former Nairobi Provincial Police Chief Timothy Mwandi Muumbo is set to resume hearings on July 22.

This has reignited a long-standing legal saga that has raised questions about medical ethics and accountability in postmortem procedures. The case revolves around the alleged vanishing of Muumbo’s 600-gram heart during postmortem examinations following his death on June 2, 2015, at the Nairobi Hospital, at the age of 87. Muumbo's death was officially attributed to a heart attack, yet suspicions of foul play, specifically poisoning, arose among some family members, leading to multiple postmortem examinations and toxicological investigations.

It was during these procedures that the heart was discovered missing.
Mortuary assistant Achochi Ongori and mortician Paul Chege from the Lee Funeral Home testified in court on Monday, denying any involvement of the funeral home in the disappearance. Their statements were a direct response to allegations brought forth by Muumbo’s children—Johnstone Kassim Muumbo, Alex Munyasa Muumbo, and Carolyn Muumbo—who initiated legal action against multiple parties. These include the funeral home, former government pathologist Moses Njue, other doctors, siblings, and the Inspector General of Police.

Ongori testified that the heart was handed over to Njue on June 25, 2015, for further analysis, stating that Njue requested the entire organ. Following protocol, the organ was then packaged and refrigerated by mortician Paul Chege. Ongori added that it is common practice for doctors to retain organs for examination without informing families to prevent delays in burial arrangements. The heart's absence was discovered during a second postmortem examination conducted in September 2015.

Chege corroborated Ongori’s account, claiming he had handed the heart to Njue’s assistant for storage. He further testified that during the second autopsy, Njue could not recall taking samples or handling the organ. Chege stated that Njue later suggested the samples might have been transferred to his school in Thika, an assertion that remains unverified. The case has been marked by significant delays and familial disputes. Muumbo’s body remained in the mortuary for five years due to disagreements over burial arrangements.

While Njue and his son were acquitted in a criminal magistrate court related to the missing heart, the constitutional case continues, highlighting ongoing tensions within the Muumbo family.