Former minister Mutula Kilonzo. [File]
An inquest by a Machakos court has ruled out foul play in the death of former Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Senior.
Instead, in a verdict that now rests the issue, the court affirmed that former lawmaker died out of a combination of a nasal decongestant drug – pseudoephedrine – and a carbonated drink.
The court on Tuesday finally closed the inquest file after finding that no one had a hand in the politician’s death.
Machakos Senior Resident Magistrate Brenda Bartoo said although his death was treated with a lot of suspicion by both his family and Kenyans at large, the evidence presented before her and the testimonies of people who were with the senator just before the died in his bedroom led to a conclusion that his was not murder.
The drug is also used to stimulate the heart and carbonated drink increases its effectiveness, but has fatal consequences. Pseudoephedrine, the court heard, is only prescribed by a doctor and no one knows where Mutula got it from.
The court also factored in testimonies that the people who saw the deceased first and the postmortem examination conducted at Lee Funeral Home indicated that the body had no external injuries.
She continued: “All the exhibits taken from the house, and produced as evidence confirmed that it was only the deceased who was in the house at the time of the incident."
The slow wheels of Justice resolved the mystery, suspense surrounding his death, seven years after his death at his ranch in Machakos on April 27, 2013.
During the inquest, Mutula’s son, Mutula Kilonzo Junior, claimed that his death "a well-organised elimination" that was followed up by a massive cover-up.
The court heard testimonies from 15 witnesses, including a butcher shop employee Justus Sila Mwololo, who sold a kilo of meat which was meant to be Mutula’s meal on that day.
