Murder probe: Family of Nakuru doctor James Gakara alleges foul play
Mary Gakara, sister to Dr James Gakara of Nakuru County, speaking to the media at Nakuru Level Five Hospital on September 20, 2021.
The family of the doctor whose children were found dead in their home in Nakuru has denied police claims that he killed the minors and then attempted suicide.
Dr James Gakara’s son, Dylan Gakara, five, and daughter, Karuana Gakara, three, were on Saturday night found dead inside their apartment in Milimani while their father was unconscious.
On Monday, the doctor’s sister, Mary Gakara, said the family suspected foul play in the investigations, adding that the reports given to the family by first responders were not adding up.
“I know my brother very well. He would do anything to protect his children. He is also not the kind of person to commit such an act,” she told the Nation.
“He loves his family and we have never heard of any differences between my brother and his wife. They have always been happy.”
The distraught sister said she heard the news about her niece’s and nephew’s death through the media, adding that she was very shocked.
The crime scene
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.
Police believe he may know what transpired behind the locked door after used syringes and an assortment of drugs were found in the room where the minor's bodies were found.
"The girl's bedroom had a sharpened knife indicating that if they didn't die from the drugs their murderer would have probably killed them using the knife," said Kiraguri.
The police said the bodies of the two children who studied at Greensteads International Schools had no physical injuries.
Dr Gakara’s sister yesterday asked the police to approach the investigations into the deaths with an open mind, saying they suspected that someone may have been behind the killings.
“Someone wants to frame him in the murders. We want the investigations expedited and everything should be done thoroughly,” she said.
She also questioned why the police were quick to remove the bodies of the two children after the first responders raised alarm, saying no family member was contacted before the bodies were moved.
“The police told us that my brother had confessed to killing his children but some of those who were at the scene said that he was unconscious when he was picked up and taken to hospital,” Ms Gakara at Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
No complaints
Ms Gakara said she had been having regular contact with her brother and that he had never complained about any difficulty.
Neigbours, friends and clients were still shocked yesterday, with most of them expressing concerns about the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
A close friend to the doctor said he was always hanging out with his wife, and that both families had been together on Friday.
“We had dinner together a day before, and there was no sign that he was disturbed. In fact, we had been talking about expanding our businesses and so this story about him attempting suicide, does not add up,” the doctor said.
Dr Gakara’s children’s bodies were Monday transferred from the Nakuru City Morgue to PNN Funeral Home, while the doctor was, by press-time, unconscious at the Intensive Care Unit at the Nakuru Level 5 hospital.
His wife, a nurse, who was in Nairobi during the incident, had been admitted to hospital for shock, but was discharged Monday.
Nakuru West Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Stephen Ambani said police will begin investigations, but they were giving the family time to grieve.
He said samples extracted from the bodies of the children were taken to the Government Chemist for toxicological analysis, and that the police were waiting for the results.
