New twist as Thika tycoon’s autopsy contradicts police report

A new twist has emerged in the Thika tycoon’s murder probe after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) declared that he was shot once from close-range contradicting police reports that he was shot numerous times. 

Thika businessman Sudhir Shah was last week killed in what the family suspects to be a setup by his close associates. 

Government pathologist Johansen Oduor, who conducted the autopsy at Bishop Okoye Funeral Home in Thika, said Shah was shot once at close range. 

“Our findings were (that) he was shot once with a single bullet which entered the chest cavity and went out through the lower back,” report says. 

According to Oduor, the bullet also injured the right lung and inflicted a lot of internal injuries. 

“We can say that it was an intermediate range. He was shot only once because there is only one because there is only entry and one exit. He died of a single bullet injury on the right side of the chest. From the injuries, we think a pistol was used in the shooting,” he added. 

Police had reported a fierce shoot-out between two gunmen riding a motorcycle and the bodyguard of one of the men who was with Shah at a coffee farm near Thika Road. 

“One of them was armed with a pistol and ordered everyone to lie on the ground. But the officer (Michuki’s bodyguard) defied the order after seeing one of the suspects was armed with a pistol.  

He took cover and started firing at them, who fired back. The suspects were overwhelmed and sped off without robbing the victims,” stated the police report. 

Head investigator at the DCI, John Gachomo said Shah was in the company of eight people, including another plantation director, when the incident happened. Gachomo said the attackers laid the ambush just after a meeting inside the plantation. 

According to reports, the family of the slain businessman believe that the Sh3 billion land deal that he went to negotiate, was a trap used by his associates to lure him to the death trap. 

His widow Taruna Shah and nephew Jitan Shah said they believed the meeting that had been planned to negotiate a land deal was a set-up. They did not, however, disclose by whom. 

“Sudhir was the one managing the coffee farm for over 11 years after he closed down his motor vehicle spare parts shop in Thika to concentrate on the Ndarugo farm,” said the widow. 

Sudhir co-owned Ndarugo Plantation 1960 Limited in Juja with five other directors and the family said the deal involved the sale of 150 acres. 

Shah, a father of two, was shot in the neck and at the back of his shoulder and was pronounced dead on arrival at Thika Central Memorial Hospital. 

“His death is suspect. Why him? No one else was injured during the shoot-out. Michuki had a bodyguard and we are told he fired back when the two gunmen had left,” Jitan said, referring to reports a police officer assigned to one of the co-directors had engaged the attackers. 

The initial plan was to set up a special economic zone in the area that would host industries and go-downs.  

It is said this was the first meeting with the investors and unfortunately the last that Shah had to attend. 

According to the wife’s account of events, the businessman woke up at 6.30am and left his home at Section Nine in Thika to a temple in town. Thereafter, he drove to Ndarugo for the meeting. 

After the meeting at the offices of Ndarugo Plantation 1960 Limited on Saturday, the group had driven out in a convoy of three vehicles. They parked next to the plantation. 

In trying to piece it all up and find the killers and conspirators, detectives from the DCI who visited the scene on Sunday, confiscated mobile phones of all the eight people who were with Shah for forensic analysis.