Audio By Vocalize

Maureen Gathigia who died on May 24, 2019. [Courtesy, DCP]

The family of blogger Maureen Gathigia is asking the Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, to direct Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to form a team to investigate her death and open an inquest.

In a letter through their lawyer, Geoffrey Omenke, the family is now casting doubt on the account that Gathigia died in an accident.

“Our instructions are thus to request you to direct the inspector general of police to put up a team of investigators and open an inquest on the same,” the letter states.

The family says it has documents and witness accounts suggesting Gathigia did not die in an accident.

The family alleges that the boda boda operator fled the scene and returned only after being called by police, adding that the motorcycle he was riding had no dents to suggest it was involved in an accident, and that Gathigia had a puncture wound on her forehead.

The family further claims that the wife of a senior political figure went to the scene and left after confirming Gathigia’s death.

“As a cover-up, the deceased’s mobile phone, which would have revealed the thick plot, went missing as it could have indicated the people she had been in communication with,” the letter states.

The lawyer, Omenke, says Gathigia’s father, James Kinyua, doubts that his daughter died in an accident.

He alleges that Gathigia had been called to the Mataga area, where she stayed until about 6 pm. When she left, the woman they suspect called the boda boda operator to take her home.

After the incident, the operator reportedly returned to the woman. The motorcycle allegedly involved in the crash was later presented, but, according to the family, it had no visible damage.

The family also questions the postmortem report, saying it does not explain the cause of the wound on Gathigia’s forehead, which they suspect could have been a bullet wound. “The Wife of the senior political figure came to the scene to confirm something and later left,” it adds.

The party claimed Gathigia died from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run incident near Sagana Catholic Church in Mathira, Nyeri County, on May 24, 2019.

“Investigations into the incident classified it as a hit-and-run, and there is no official evidence linking her death to murder or foul play,” said the party.

According to DCP, the driver involved was charged at the Karatina Law Courts with causing death by dangerous driving. He denied the charges and was released on a Sh150,000 bond.

“Court records and police investigations consistently indicate that the death resulted from a traffic accident rather than any deliberate criminal act,” DCP said.

.std-banner-wrap {
max-width: 100%;
width: 100%;
position: relative;
margin: 2.5rem 0 2rem;
font-family: Georgia, ‘Times New Roman’, serif;
}

.std-top-rule {
display: flex;
height: 4px;
}

.std-top-rule .r1 {
background: #CC0000;
flex: 3;
}

.std-top-rule .r2 {
background: #C9A84C;
flex: 1;
}

.std-top-rule .r3 {
background: #0D0D0D;
flex: 6;
}

.std-banner {
background: #F9F5F0;
padding: 2rem 2.2rem 1.8rem;
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
box-shadow: 0 4px 24px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.10), 0 1px 0 #C9A84C;
border-left: 4px solid #CC0000;
}

.std-banner::before {
content: ‘S’;
position: absolute;
right: -1rem;
top: -2rem;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
font-size: 14rem;
font-weight: 900;
color: rgba(204, 0, 0, 0.04);
line-height: 1;
pointer-events: none;
user-select: none;
}

.std-eyebrow {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.5rem;
font-size: 0.62rem;
font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: 0.2em;
text-transform: uppercase;
color: #CC0000;
margin-bottom: 0.85rem;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

.std-eyebrow::before {
content: ”;
display: block;
width: 18px;
height: 1.5px;
background: #CC0000;
}

.std-banner-title {
font-family: Georgia, ‘Times New Roman’, serif;
font-size: clamp(1.3rem, 3.5vw, 1.75rem);
font-weight: 900;
color: #0D0D0D;
line-height: 1.2;
margin: 0 0 0.75rem;
letter-spacing: -0.02em;
}

.std-banner-title .std-hl {
color: #CC0000;
font-style: italic;
}

.std-divider {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.6rem;
margin-bottom: 0.9rem;
}

.std-divider::before,
.std-divider::after {
content: ”;
flex: 1;
height: 1px;
background: #d8d0c6;
}

.std-divider-dot {
width: 6px;
height: 6px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #CC0000;
flex-shrink: 0;
}

.std-banner-body {
font-size: 0.97rem;
line-height: 1.7;
color: #2C2C2C;
font-weight: 400;
margin: 0 0 1.4rem;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
}

.std-banner-body strong {
font-weight: 700;
color: #0D0D0D;
}

.std-cta-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 1rem;
flex-wrap: wrap;
margin-bottom: 1.2rem;
}

.std-btn-subscribe {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.6rem;
background: #CC0000;
color: #fff !important;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.8rem;
font-weight: 700;
letter-spacing: 0.1em;
text-transform: uppercase;
padding: 0.72rem 1.5rem 0.72rem 1.3rem;
border: none;
cursor: pointer;
text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom: none !important;
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
transition: background 0.2s ease, transform 0.15s ease, box-shadow 0.2s ease;
box-shadow: 0 4px 16px rgba(204, 0, 0, 0.3);
clip-path: polygon(0 0, calc(100% – 10px) 0, 100% 50%, calc(100% – 10px) 100%, 0 100%);
padding-right: 1.8rem;
}

.std-btn-subscribe:hover,
.std-btn-subscribe:focus,
.std-btn-subscribe:visited,
.std-btn-subscribe:active {
background: #A00000 !important;
color: #fff !important;
transform: translateY(-1px);
box-shadow: 0 6px 22px rgba(204, 0, 0, 0.4);
text-decoration: none !important;
border-bottom: none !important;
outline: none;
}

.std-btn-subscribe:active {
transform: translateY(0);
}

.std-btn-arrow {
display: inline-block;
font-size: 1rem;
line-height: 1;
transition: transform 0.18s ease;
}

.std-btn-subscribe:hover .std-btn-arrow {
transform: translateX(3px);
}

.std-dismiss {
font-size: 0.75rem;
color: #999;
background: none;
border: none;
border-bottom: 1px dashed #ccc;
padding: 0 0 1px;
cursor: pointer;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
letter-spacing: 0.03em;
transition: color 0.2s;
}

.std-dismiss:hover {
color: #333;
border-bottom-color: #333;
}

/* Payment logos */
.std-payment-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.45rem;
flex-wrap: wrap;
padding-top: 1rem;
border-top: 1px solid #e0d9d0;
margin-bottom: 0.7rem;
}

.std-pay-label {
font-size: 0.6rem;
color: #aaa;
letter-spacing: 0.14em;
text-transform: uppercase;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
margin-right: 0.2rem;
white-space: nowrap;
}

.std-pay-badge {
display: inline-flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
height: 24px;
padding: 0 0.5rem;
border-radius: 3px;
border: 1px solid #e0d7ce;
background: #fff;
box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
}

/* M-Pesa */
.std-mpesa-text {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.7rem;
font-weight: 900;
}

.std-mpesa-m {
color: #39b74a;
}

.std-mpesa-dash {
color: #db3939;
}

.std-mpesa-p {
color: #39b74a;
}

/* Visa */
.std-visa-text {
font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, Times, serif;
font-size: 0.82rem;
font-weight: 900;
font-style: italic;
color: #1a1f71;
letter-spacing: -0.03em;
}

/* Mastercard */
.std-mc-wrap {
position: relative;
width: 28px;
height: 16px;
}

.std-mc-left {
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #eb001b;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
top: 0;
}

.std-mc-right {
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #f79e1b;
position: absolute;
right: 0;
top: 0;
mix-blend-mode: multiply;
}

/* Airtel Money */
.std-airtel-text {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.64rem;
font-weight: 800;
}

.std-airtel-a {
color: #ec2427;
;
}

.std-airtel-m {
color: #dd3436;
font-weight: 600;
}

/* Equitel */
.std-equitel-text {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 0.6rem;
font-weight: 700;
color: #003087;
letter-spacing: 0.02em;
}

.std-equitel-eq {
color: #e2001a;
}

/* Trust strip */
.std-trust-strip {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: 0.45rem;
flex-wrap: wrap;
}

.std-trust-strip .std-shield {
width: 11px;
height: 11px;
fill: #C9A84C;
flex-shrink: 0;
}

.std-trust-strip span {
font-size: 0.67rem;
color: #aaa;
letter-spacing: 0.03em;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

.std-trust-strip .std-dot {
width: 3px;
height: 3px;
border-radius: 50%;
background: #ccc;
flex-shrink: 0;
}

/* Bottom rule */
.std-bottom-rule {
height: 2px;
background: linear-gradient(to right, #C9A84C, #CC0000, #0D0D0D);
}

/* Entrance animation */
@keyframes stdSlideUp {
from {
opacity: 0;
transform: translateY(20px);
}

to {
opacity: 1;
transform: translateY(0);
}
}

.std-banner-wrap {
animation: stdSlideUp 0.5s cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1) both;
}

Support Independent Journalism

Stand With Bold Journalism.
Stand With The Standard.

Journalism can’t be free because the truth demands investment.
At The Standard, we invest time, courage and skills to bring you accurate,
factual and impactful stories. Subscribe today and stand with us in the
pursuit of credible journalism.

Continue
→

Pay via

Secure Payment

Kenya’s most trusted newsroom since 1902

Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

In a letter through their lawyer, Geoffrey Omenke, the family is now casting doubt on the account that Gathigia died in an accident.

“Our instructions are thus to request you to direct the inspector general of police to put up a team of investigators and open an inquest on the same,” the letter states.
The family says it has documents and witness accounts suggesting Gathigia did not die in an accident.

“On the fateful day, the deceased was called by a lady friend who may have lured her to her death, the said lady, who is also a relative to a senior political figure in Mount Kenya region, then called his brother, who apparently operates Bodaboda and asked him to drop the deceased at her home.”
The family alleges that the boda boda operator fled the scene and returned only after being called by police, adding that the motorcycle he was riding had no dents to suggest it was involved in an accident, and that Gathigia had a puncture wound on her forehead.

The family further claims that the wife of a senior political figure went to the scene and left after confirming Gathigia’s death.

“As a cover-up, the deceased’s mobile phone, which would have revealed the thick plot, went missing as it could have indicated the people she had been in communication with,” the letter states.
The lawyer, Omenke, says Gathigia’s father, James Kinyua, doubts that his daughter died in an accident.

He alleges that Gathigia had been called to the Mataga area, where she stayed until about 6 pm. When she left, the woman they suspect called the boda boda operator to take her home.
After the incident, the operator reportedly returned to the woman. The motorcycle allegedly involved in the crash was later presented, but, according to the family, it had no visible damage.

The request comes after the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), associated with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, urged Kenyans to stop speculating about the cause of Gathigia’s death, saying it resulted from an accident.
The party claimed Gathigia died from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run incident near Sagana Catholic Church in Mathira, Nyeri County, on May 24, 2019.

“Investigations into the incident classified it as a hit-and-run, and there is no official evidence linking her death to murder or foul play,” said the party.

Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter
According to DCP, the driver involved was charged at the Karatina Law Courts with causing death by dangerous driving. He denied the charges and was released on a Sh150,000 bond.
“Court records and police investigations consistently indicate that the death resulted from a traffic accident rather than any deliberate criminal act,” DCP said.