Poison or performance drugs? Puzzle over death at Murang’a lodging

 A man who collapsed and died in a lodging in Murang’a County last week may have been poisoned, detectives told the Nation yesterday.

 Fredrick Opiyo, 50, breathed his last on Wednesday just after a steamy meal of ugali and fish, which he had shared with a female companion, Mary Mwende, 35.

 Ms Mwende, who runs an eatery in Maragua town, prepared the meal in her home. She’s now in police custody as the government chemist tests samples of the food.

 She was on Friday arraigned in Kigumo Law Courts and detectives were granted 14 days to hold her before making a decision on the nature of charges they may level against her. The medical reports are expected to be ready by Wednesday.

 Initial police reports suggested the man may have died of an overdose of sexual performance drugs. 

 Police recovered a used condom and an empty packet of Viagra, before the body was moved to the Murang’a Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue.

 “We will compare the government chemist’s report and the post-mortem examination to know what led to the man’s death,” Murang’a South Police boss Alexander Shikondi said.

 After the dinner, the two are said to have had a “good time together” before the woman decided to take a shower.

 “It was while in the bathroom that the woman, in her statement, said that she heard the man groaning and gasping for breath,” Mr Shikondi said.

 She immediately called the lodging’s night guard for help. When he rushed to the room with the attendant, they saw Opiyo lying on the bed, naked and motionless.

 The guard called police from Maragua station about 50 metres away.

 “Our officers found the man unresponsive. We moved him to Murang’a Level Five Hospital for where he was pronounced dead,” Mr Shikondi said.

 “Preliminary suspicion is that he either died of poisoning, the drugs he is suspected to have swallowed, or any other cause. The woman was the last to be seen with him and that’s why we base investigations around her.”

 Mr Shikondi said if post-mortem results show that Opiyo succumbed to effects of sex performance drugs, then the case will be treated as that of “self-harm”.

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