The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) today presented the fourth witness in a manslaughter case facing the operators of a Nairobi cosmetic clinic, as court heard that a 47-year-old woman paid nearly Ksh. 700,000 for a cosmetic surgery that ultimately claimed her life.
Testifying before Principal Magistrate Christine Njagi at the Kibera High Court, Mr. Francis Nganga Mundia told the court that a postmortem examination revealed that his wife, Lucy Wambui Kamau, died from severe complications arising from liposuction following a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedure.
The case, being prosecuted by Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions Maryann Mwangi and Duncan Ondimu, has been filed against Dr. Robert Maweu Mutula and Body by Design directors George Wakaria Njoronge and Lilian Edna Wanjiru Mwariri.
The three are accused of causing Ms. Wambui’s death on October 16, 2024, at Omnicare Medical Limited, trading as Body by Design, along Kabarsiran Avenue in Nairobi County.
Court heard that documentary evidence, including a receipt, showed the deceased paid Ksh693,000 for a surgical procedure intended to remove fat from her abdomen. Mundia testified that despite his wife’s condition deteriorating after the surgery, she was allegedly forcefully discharged from the facility before fully recovering and without having cleared the outstanding medical bill.
He further told the court that the clinic was abruptly closed immediately after her discharge, raising serious concerns about the conduct of the facility and its management.
Mundia recounted that his wife had come across advertisements by Body by Design on 10th October 2024, aggressively promoting cosmetic and surgical procedures. She later informed him of her intention to undergo surgery to remove belly fat, a decision he said he opposed for nearly three weeks.
According to his testimony, when he visited her on the evening of October 17, 2024, a day after the surgery, she was in visible distress, complaining of severe abdominal pain and shortness of breath. He observed that her clothes were soaked around the abdominal area with what appeared to be blood and body fluids, and that she was in extreme pain.
The situation worsened the following day as Mundia told the court that upon unwrapping her abdomen, he noticed continued oozing of blood and body fluids, accompanied by a foul fecal odour. When he raised concerns with medical attendants at the facility, he was assured that the symptoms were normal and would subside with healing.
In further testimony that bolstered the prosecution’s case, Mundia said that on 22nd October 2024, his wife was discharged from the facility at around 4:30 p.m. despite not having fully recovered. Within ten minutes of arriving home, her condition deteriorated drastically. Attempts to rush her back to Body by Design were unsuccessful, as the facility had been closed, with only a watchman present. The family was forced to take her to Nairobi Hospital.
He emotionally recalled receiving a call from his wife on October 23, 2024, during which she asked him to pray for her, saying she feared she was going to die. Shortly after the call ended, he received an urgent call from Nairobi Hospital asking him to rush there immediately.
Ms. Wambui later died on October 26, 2024 and Mundia reported the matter at Muthangari Police Station, prompting investigations.
