Father of murdered Nakuru children dies in hospital
Dr James Gakara.
Nakuru doctor James Gakara, who was found unconscious next to his two dead children in their home, has died.
Dr Gakara died at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital where he was receiving treatment under the watch of police officers.
He was admitted at the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The bodies of the children and their unconscious father were on Saturday night found inside their apartment in Milimani, Nakuru.
Karuana Gakara, aged three, and Dylan Gakara, five, who are suspected to have been killed by their father, Dr James Gakara.
Dr Gakara's family said it suspected foul play in the murders after preliminary police reports indicated that Dr Gakara killed the children before attempting suicide.
Ms Winnie Odhiambo, the mother of the children, was in Nairobi on the day of the murders.
On the day the murders happened, a friend of Ms Odhiambo said Dr Gakara had called his wife as he had lunch with the children. Their mother had left for Nairobi in the morning.
On Monday, Dr Gakara’s sister, Mary Gakara, asked the police to have an open mind as they investigate the murders and the alleged attempted suicide.
Mary Gakara, sister to Dr James Gakara of Nakuru County, speaking to the media at Nakuru Level Five Hospital on September 20, 2021.
His relatives said they were hoping that Dr Gakara wound gain consciousness so that he could tell the truth about what happened.
“We have been waiting to hear his side of the story because there have been so many conflicting narratives about what happened,” his sister, Mary Gakara said.
Friends and family members at the Nakuru Level 5 Hosptial on September 22, 2021.
Shocking deaths
Police officers interviewed by the Nation said they had begun investigations into the killings that have shocked residents of Nakuru, where the doctor owns a clinic located in Section 58.
On Sunday, Nakuru County Police Commander Beatrice Kiraguri said preliminary investigations showed that the well-known doctor had injected his children with drugs before attempting suicide.
Crime Scene investigators found used syringes and an assortment of drugs in the room where their bodies were found.
Stephen Ambani, the Nakuru West Sub-County DCI boss, said tissue samples were extracted from the bodies of the children for toxicological analysis to determine what drug was used to kill them.
Police officers have been camping by his hospital bed as they believed that he would provide more information about what transpired once he woke up.
The bodies of Dr Gakara and his children are being preserved at PNN Funeral Home.
