FBI drawn into murdered Somali-American’s probe

The family of the late Somali-American businessman Bashir Mohamoud wants an inquest into his death, after a post-mortem conducted yesterday revealed he was strangled.

This came as the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) informed the family that it was banking on investigations by Kenyan authorities to get to the bottom of the matter.

Family sources told the Nation that FBI contacted them with a promise to share the information they would receive from Kenyan investigators regarding the death of the American citizen.

FBI, the sources said, insisted that the matter falls within the Kenyan jurisdiction and the US agency cannot directly investigate.

The case is under investigation by various units of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, including the Forensics Unit and the Government Chemist.

The chemist is analysing samples taken from Mr Mohamoud’s body after yesterday’s post-mortem at Umash Funeral Home in Nairobi.

The exam conducted by Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor revealed that the structural engineer died due to strangulation, and that he was tortured before he was killed and his body dumped into River Nyamindi, Mwea, Kirinyaga County.

Dr Oduor and his team, in a departure from their tradition of late, avoided and did not brief the media after the post-mortem, choosing to exit the funeral home in a huff, some through the backdoor.

Mr Mohamoud’s lawyer Charles Madowo, who communicated contents of the post-mortem report, said the torture marks included burns and injuries inflicted by a blunt object.

The body also bore bruises and cuts, which, according to pathologists, were signs of a struggle between the businessman and his killers.

“The immediate cause of death as per the post-mortem report is death by strangulation but there is also quite a bit of evidence of torture on his body,” said Madowo.

“There’s trauma on the head consistent with being hit by a blunt object, round burn marks on his body and evidence of torture on his toes and nails.”

The lawyer, who witnessed the exercise alongside two other independent pathologists, DCI detectives and a family representative, described the burn wounds as having been caused by some form of electrocutions and direct flames.

“There are very consistent, round burn marks which suggest something round and hot like the car lighter was used to inflict those pains,” said Madowo.

“There is also evidence of flame burns almost consistent with a lighter or something that emits direct flames. None of his body parts were missing.”

But even as Mr Mohamoud rests, the family said it shall not take a break until justice is served.

“What we hope is that a proper inquest shall be done and the people responsible for this brought to book,” added the lawyer.

“Whatever the circumstance that someone finds themselves in, we are a country that is governed by the rule of law and everybody is governed by due process and we hope that that due process will be accorded to the family of Bashir and to Bashir as well.”

Mr Mohamoud’s father-in-law Rashid Ali Omar noted that his son-in-law may be the sixth or seventh person to have died in a similar manner in the country in the last few months, a trend that he said is causing families deep pain and anguish.

In North Eastern, for example, people are disappearing almost on a weekly basis never to be seen, he said.

“At least we found Bashir’s body but even so, we are being tortured internally and psychologically and we pray that God avenges this for us. We will be seeking the help of the DPP to get to the bottom of this matter but we shall never forgive those who killed Bashir and we pray that God will punish those who are shedding innocent blood in the country.”

He added, “This is a country where the judicial process should be followed on all matters but the recent trends are worrying and now everybody is living in fear. I used to hear these cases happening to others until it came to the door of my house. As a Sociologist, I feel this must come to an end."

Mr Ali, a retired civil servant, described his son-in-law as a shrewd and responsible man who was always joyful, generous and of good character.

Mr Mohamoud was buried at Langáta Muslim cemetery. He left behind a young wife and an infant in Nairobi.

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