By Andrew Mbuva.
The Director of Public Prosecutions on Monday presented the fourth prosecution witness in a manslaughter case against the operators of a Nairobi cosmetic clinic, as a court heard harrowing details of how a 47-year-old woman allegedly died following a costly cosmetic surgery.
Testifying before Principal Magistrate Christine Njagi at the Kibera High Court, Mr. Francis Nganga Mundia told the court that his wife, Lucy Wambui Kamau, died from severe complications arising from liposuction conducted as part of a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedure.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions Maryann Mwangi and Duncan Ondimu. Those charged are Dr. Robert Maweu Mutula and Body by Design directors George Wakaria Njoronge and Lilian Edna Wanjiru Mwariri. They are accused of causing the death of Ms. Wambui on October 16, 2024, at Omnicare Medical Limited, trading as Body by Design, located along Kabarsiran Avenue in Nairobi County.
Mundia told the court that documentary evidence, including a receipt, showed his wife paid Ksh693,000 for a procedure intended to remove fat from her abdomen. A postmortem examination later confirmed that she died as a result of severe complications linked to the liposuction.
He testified that despite her condition worsening after the surgery, his wife was allegedly forcefully discharged from the facility before she had fully recovered and without clearing an outstanding medical bill. He further raised alarm over the conduct of the clinic, telling the court that the facility was abruptly closed immediately after her discharge.
According to Mundia, his wife had first come across Body by Design advertisements on October 10, 2024, which aggressively promoted cosmetic and surgical procedures. She later informed him of her decision to undergo surgery to remove belly fat, a move he said he opposed for nearly three weeks.
He recounted visiting her at the clinic on the evening of October 17, a day after the surgery, and finding her in visible distress. She complained of severe abdominal pain and difficulty breathing. He observed that her clothes were soaked around the abdominal area with what appeared to be blood and body fluids, and that she was in extreme pain.
The situation deteriorated further the following day. Mundia told the court that when he unwrapped her abdomen, he noticed continued oozing of blood and body fluids accompanied by a foul fecal odour. When he raised the issue with medical attendants at the facility, he was allegedly assured that the symptoms were normal and would subside with healing.
In testimony that strengthened the prosecution’s case, Mundia said that on October 22, 2024, his wife was discharged at about 4:30 p.m. despite not having fully recovered. Within ten minutes of arriving home, her condition worsened drastically. Efforts to rush her back to Body by Design were futile as the clinic had been closed, with only a watchman present. The family was forced to seek emergency care at Nairobi Hospital.
Mundia emotionally recalled receiving a phone call from his wife on October 23, during which she asked him to pray for her, saying she feared she was going to die. Shortly after the call ended, he received an urgent call from Nairobi Hospital asking him to rush there immediately.
Wambui succumbed to her injuries on October 26, 2024. Mundia later reported the matter at Muthangari Police Station, triggering investigations that culminated in the ongoing manslaughter case.
The hearing continues.
