Cause of British tycoon's death still unknown, inquest told

Richard John Veevers, the eldest son of the late Briton Harry Roy Veevers who died mysteriously at his residence in Mombasa in 2013 testifies at the Mombasa Law Court during an inquest into his fathers death on November 28, 2016. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

It is still not known what killed British tycoon Harry Veevers, who died almost nine years ago, an inquest has heard.

Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor told the inquest that reports from government chemists given to police and a Dr Njue do not cite the cause of the death and are unreliable.

Dr Oduor, who was cross-examined by lawyer William Mogaka for the late Veevers’ daughters, said the reports were scientifically inadequate.

“The reports cannot (help) to determine the cause of death,” Dr Oduor told Mombasa Senior Principal Magistrate Charles Ndegwa.

The witness also said he could not know the status of the body, which is lying at the Coast General Hospital morgue after it was exhumed in 2014.

Dr Oduor also said that he had not seen a DNA report indicating that the exhumed body was that of Veevers.

Upon cross-examination by lawyer Kinyua Kamundi, representing Veevers’ sons, the witness told the inquest that it was possible to carry out tests on the remains and determine the cause of death.

The witness also said there was no protocol in Kenya for moving a body from one place to another.

Led by prosecutors, the pathologist told the court that when a body is exhumed it becomes difficult to determine the exact cause of death.

In a previous hearing, a former senior officer told the inquest that police were not involved in transporting Veevers’ body to a morgue.

Former Kisauni divisional criminal investigations head Shadrack Juma said he did not visit the Nyali Police Station to confirm whether a report on Veevers’ death had been made.

Mr Juma also said the police had not received any initial reports and no postmortem examination was conducted before the body was taken for burial.

The retired officer also told the inquest that he was not aware whether a certificate of death was issued.

One of the complaints from Veevers’ son Richard, he said, was that his father died without a report being made to the police.

Mr Richard, he said, did not inform him that he had washed his father’s body with his brother.

“I will be surprised if the person who washed the body of the deceased was Richard and his brother,” said Mr Juma on cross-examination.

He said Mr Richard informed him that the reason he did not make a report to the police was that he had to consult his brother first.
Veevers, a Briton living in Kenya, died in Mombasa on February 14, 2013. The chief prosecutor recommended that his death be investigated by judicial inquest.

The inquest hearing resumes on June 30.