Kiru Boys principal was drugged before murder
Suspects in the murder of Kiru Boys High School principal Solomon Mwangi. From left: Mr Isaac Ng’ang’a and Mr Mwangi’s widow Jane Muthoni in Kiambu High Court on September 5, 2017 during the hearing of the case. The two have denied killing Mr Mwangi. PHOTO | ERIC WAINAINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Xylazine is used for sedation, anaesthesia, and analgesia of animals especially during operations.
- The drug is either administrated through injection or orally, and can be fatal on human beings.
Murdered Kiru Boys High School Principal Solomon Mwangi, whose strangled body was found in a thicket in Juja, Kiambu County, in November last year, was drugged using Xylazine, a strong sedative drug that is normally used on animals, before he was killed, the court heard Tuesday.
Ms Joyce Wairimu, a laboratory analyst at the Government Chemist, told Kiambu High Court Judge Joel Ngugi that after carrying out tests on Mr Mwangi’s liver, kidney and stomach, she detected samples of the dangerous drug.
SUSPECTS
The drug is used for sedation, anaesthesia, and analgesia of animals especially during operations.
Ms Wairimu, who has served in the Government Chemist for more than 30 years, was testifying against Mr Mwangi’s widow Jane Muthoni and Mr Isaac Ng’ang’a alias Gikuyu.
Ms Muthoni was Principal at Icaciri Secondary School before her arrest.
The two have denied killing Mr Mwangi.
LETHAL DRUG
Ms Wairimu said she received the specimens on November 23, 2016 from Mr Clement Mwangi, a detective who was investigating the murder, and in the memorandum, she was required to carry out a test to examine if there was any presence of toxic or poisonous substances in the specimen.
Locally, she said, the drug is only meant for veterinary purposes after the Food and Drug Administration banned its use by human beings after it was found to be lethal.
During cross-examination by counsel for the accused, Mr Francis Njanja and Kihanga Mwangi, Ms Wairimu said the drug is either administrated through injection or orally, and can be fatal on human beings depending on the dosage.
“[...] A man who had taken a 200ml dosage went into a comma but recovered after treatment,” Ms Wairimu told the court.
WITNESS
But despite the ban, Ms Wairimu said, the drug is still used illegally due to its accessibility.
During the hearing, Mr Stephen Mwaura, a carpenter who used to serve as the gatekeeper at Icaciri Secondary School on Sundays, said on November 6, Ms Muthoni and her husband left the compound together at mid-morning.
Mr Mwaura further said Ms Muthoni returned to the school at around 4pm without Mr Mwangi and left after one hour.
