An autopsy has confirmed that Eugene Mutuku, a student at the Kenya Medical Training College, died from multiple injuries and internal bleeding after falling from a moving matatu on Nairobi’s Thika Road.
The examination, conducted on Monday at Kenyatta National Hospital, offers the clearest account yet of the young man’s final hours. It points to severe trauma consistent with a high-impact fall.
Mr Mutuku had been travelling from Thika towards the city centre early on the morning of June 5 when the incident occurred. Police say the vehicle, operated by Nicco Sacco, was later found abandoned in the Kariokor area.
What happened inside the matatu remains contested.
According to investigators, the 6:40am incident followed what may have been a dispute over a Sh50 fare. Some accounts suggest Mr Mutuku was pushed from the vehicle. Others indicate he may have attempted to alight while it was still in motion. Police have not reached a final conclusion.
A witness who helped rush him to hospital described a chaotic scene. The student was in visible pain, with serious injuries including a dislocated hip and missing teeth. On the way, the witness said he spotted the same matatu continuing its route.
“When I told them they had just thrown someone out, they said they were going to report to the police,” the witness recalled.
Mr Mutuku died later that day, at about 5pm, while receiving treatment.
He had only just begun his clinical attachment that week at a hospital in Kasarani, a step seen as crucial in his training.
The driver and conductor have since disappeared. Police say efforts to trace and arrest them are ongoing.
Meanwhile, two directors of the transport company were brought before a Nairobi court on Monday. Investigators have asked for more time to question them as they piece together the sequence of events.
For the family, the legal process offers little comfort. They are demanding swift action and accountability.
“This was not an accident,” a relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Someone must answer for what happened.”
The case has once again drawn attention to safety concerns in Kenya’s public transport system, where enforcement of basic rules often falls short. For now, investigators say they are following all leads.
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