Widow: I could have saved my husband’s life, if police let me

 
Wife to the late George Muchai, Susan (second right) with Deputy National Assembly speaker Joyce Laboso, nominated Senator Beth Mugo (left) and Othaya MP Mary Wambui (right) among other political leaders, friends and relatives during a prayer service at their home in Kamulu, Nairobi on February 8, 2015. PHOTO | BILLY MUTAI | NATION MEDIA GROUP  

Sunday, February 8, 2015

By STELLA CHERONO
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By ERIC WAINAINA
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In Summary

• Mrs Muchai, while recounting the events that led to her husband’s death, said policemen on foot patrol who arrived at the scene asked her not to touch any of the occupants of the vehicle when she wanted to rush them to hospital.
• On arriving at the scene, Mrs Muchai said, she noticed that her husband’s car had been sprayed with bullets and the driver was motionless, although the car’s engine was still running.
• She said the police officers who had already arrived at the scene kept asking everyone to move away from the vehicle, saying that detectives had to take the fingerprints of all the victims before they could be moved.

Slain Kabete MP George Muchai’s widow, Susan, believes she could have saved her husband’s life following his shooting, if police had not barred her from moving him.

Mrs Muchai, while recounting the events that led to her husband’s death, said policemen on foot patrol who arrived at the scene asked her not to touch any of the occupants of the vehicle when she wanted to rush them to hospital.

“They told me to call an ambulance and said that only medics could safely handle those who had been injured” she said.

DRIVER HOOTED

Earlier that evening, she had dinner at a city restaurant with her husband, their daughter, a relative and her sister who had just arrived from abroad, before setting off for home.

“After we passed Uhuru Highway-Kenyatta Avenue roundabout, heading to town to drop our driver, my husband’s vehicle stopped and the driver hooted,” she said.

 “As our vehicle passed his, he hooted again. I waved to ask why he hooted and he waved back to ask us to proceed.

“I could see a newspaper vendor running towards his car and so I knew that he wanted to buy the paper,” she said.

A few minutes later and with her car way ahead, Mrs Muchai said she heard gunshots.

“My first assumption was that the cops had shot some thieves but we just decided to take a U-turn and get back to where we left their vehicle,” she said.

SPRAYED WITH BULLETS

On arriving at the scene, Mrs Muchai said, she noticed that her husband’s car had been sprayed with bullets and the driver was motionless, although the car’s engine was still running.

“At that point, I lost it. I was confused but I was able to turn off the engine and peep behind only to find my husband lying on the body guard’s chest.

“He was bleeding. I just asked the people I was with to check if my husband was alive,” the emotionally-overwhelmed widow recalled.

She said the police officers who had already arrived at the scene kept asking everyone to move away from the vehicle, saying that detectives had to take the fingerprints of all the victims before they could be moved.

“I called the ambulances from a Nairobi hospital but they did not arrive even after thirty minutes of regular calls,” she said.

Police officers later told her that all the occupants of the vehicle were dead.