Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve died as a result of a blood clot and lack of oxygen
first sign that indicated Munuve lacked oxygen was cyanosis, a condition where his lips and fingernails had darkened
Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve died due to a blood clot and a lack of sufficient oxygen, Chief government Pathologist, Johansen Oduor has confirmed.
Dr Oduor, who led a team of seven pathologists to conducted the autopsy from 9 am at Lee Funeral Home, said that the first sign that indicated Munuve lacked oxygen was cyanosis, a condition that led to his lips and fingernails to darken.
“When we looked at the body of the late MCA, from external examination, we saw that he had cyanosis (darkening of lips and fingernails). This is seen in people who are not getting enough oxygen in the body. That made it clear that by the time he died, he didn’t have enough oxygen in his body,” he told journalists.
It was then that the team of pathologists proceeded to investigate what caused the lack of oxygen and found a clot in the pulmonary artery.
They later found a second clot in the lower limb, which the team said might have ‘traveled’ to the pulmonary artery, blocking oxygen from getting out of the lungs.
“The main findings were in the lungs. There is a blood vessel called the pulmonary artery where blood passes from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen. We saw a big blood clot there, which was tightly adherent to the blood vessel. This is what is called pulmonary embolism, which can cause sudden death,” Dr Oduor explained.
“We tried to find where the blood clot was coming from and, upon looking at the whole body, a blood vessel in the lower limb, also on the left, in the vein called the popliteal vein. It is very clear that the blood clot came from this vein, which progressively went to the area in the lung,” he added.
The family pathologist Dr Peter Maturi revealed that the clot in the popliteal vein, which is rare in men, is caused by sitting for a long time and a sedentary lifestyle, or even a long airplane journey.
Addressing the press, family spokesperson and lawyer Danstan Omari stated that more samples of the stomach fluid, among other parts of several body organs, were taken to the government chemist and further results will be shared in due course.
“Some samples in the form of stomach liquids that were found in the stomach were taken together with some organ parts and viral swabs for further analysis. Once I get the outcome, we shall take the next step,” Omari stated.
The lawyer said that the legislator may not have died if he had been given proper medication, as he had previously gone to seek treatment.
“The deceased would not have died if he would had been given the right diagnosis and treatment before he met his death. He had consulted medical practitioners before. Once we get the final report, the family will decide how to deal with it,” Omari added.
The family lawyers called on the residents of Kariobangi North to keep the peace as the await results of the tests from the Government Chemist.
“We hope that the Kariobangi North residents will be peaceful and maintain tranquility within the ward so that we do not end up reacting to a situation yet the doctors are still in the process of discovering what led to the death of their leader,” Shadrack Wambui, who is among the family lawyers, stated.
The MCAs present led by Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai and his Kahawa counterpart Eutychus Muriuki, who witnessed the autopsy process and represented their colleagues, stated that they are at peace having gotten closure.
“We were looking for closure so that our brother could rest in peace. We pray for the family,” Muriuki, a friend to Munuve, stated.
Alai said that they accept the results shared by the doctors and he sympathised of how his friend had something hurting him for long without knowing what it was.
“It is a lesson to all of us because we cannot bring him back to life. I hope that the results now bring peace to all of us, especially the political family, where there has been a bit of turmoil on who killed him or what killed him. I trust the word of doctors and the process. Our friend had something that was hurting him, and he did not know,” Alai remarked.
Munuve was pronounced dead on arrival at the AAR Hospital along Kiambu Road after complaining of chest pain.
His death raised concerns from the political class and the public, with several parties sending representatives to be part of the postmortem process.
During the autopsy, Dr Oduor, represented the government, Maturi held brief for the family of the late MCA, a third one was from AAR, while the fourth pathologist was the County Assembly of Nairobi.
The Nairobi County Executive also sent a pathologist, while Embakasi East MP Babu Owino had two pathologists representing him.
They were with a team of 15 specialists from the Forensic crime scene detectives and the Homicide Unit of the DCI.
He has been mourned by his colleagues as a champion for integrity, good governance, and leadership.
