The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on Monday presented the fourth prosecution witness in a manslaughter case against the operators of a Nairobi cosmetic clinic, as the court heard that a 47-year-old woman paid close to Sh700,000 for a cosmetic procedure that later resulted in her death.
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Christine Njagi at the Kibera High Court, Francis Nganga Mundia testified that a postmortem examination established that his wife, Lucy Wambui Kamau, died from severe complications linked to liposuction performed during a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedure.
The case, led by Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions Maryann Mwangi and Duncan Ondimu, has been instituted against Dr Robert Maweu Mutula and Body by Design directors George Wakaria Njoronge and Lilian Edna Wanjiru Mwariri.
The three are accused of unlawfully causing the death of Wambui on October 16, 2024, at Omnicare Medical Limited, operating as Body by Design, along Kabarsiran Avenue in Nairobi County.
The court was told that documentary evidence, including payment receipts, showed the deceased paid Sh693,000 for a cosmetic procedure aimed at removing abdominal fat.
Mundia testified that after the surgery, his wife’s health deteriorated, yet she was allegedly discharged prematurely before making a full recovery and without settling the outstanding medical bill.
He further stated that the clinic was closed immediately after her discharge, a move that raised serious concerns regarding the conduct of the facility and its management.
Mundia told the court that his wife first learned about Body by Design through advertisements on October 10, 2024, which heavily promoted cosmetic and surgical procedures. He said she later informed him of her plan to undergo surgery to remove belly fat, a decision he opposed for nearly three weeks.
In his testimony, Mundia said that when he visited his wife on the evening of October 17, 2024, a day after the procedure, she was in obvious distress, complaining of intense abdominal pain and difficulty breathing.
He observed that her clothes were soaked around the abdominal area with what appeared to be blood and bodily fluids.
He added that her condition worsened the following day, noting that upon removing her dressing, he saw continued bleeding and discharge accompanied by a foul smell. Despite raising alarm with medical staff at the clinic, he was allegedly assured that the symptoms were normal and would subside with time.
Further strengthening the prosecution’s case, Mundia told the court that on October 22, 2024, his wife was discharged from the facility at about 4:30 p.m. despite her condition not having stabilized.
He said that within minutes of arriving home, her health deteriorated rapidly. Attempts to return her to the clinic failed as it had already been closed, leaving the family with no option but to rush her to Nairobi Hospital.
Mundia emotionally recounted receiving a phone call from his wife on October 23, 2024, during which she asked him to pray for her, saying she feared she was dying.
Shortly afterward, he received an urgent call from Nairobi Hospital asking him to report there immediately.
Wambui later died on October 26, 2024.
Mundia reported the matter at Muthangari Police Station, prompting investigations into the circumstances surrounding her death.
