Police investigator describes Samidoh nephew's death scene
Crime and Justice
By
Nancy Gitonga
| May 13, 2026
Fresh questions have emerged over the death of Jeff Mwathi, nephew of Mugithi singer Samidoh, as a senior detective gave detailed testimony at the ongoing inquest.
Testifying at the Milimani Law Courts yesterday, Chief Inspector Mureithi said there were no visible signs of force or struggle at the window through which Mwathi is alleged to have fallen on the 10th floor of an apartment in Roysambu, Nairobi, belonging to Lawrence Njuguna (DJ Faxto)
“Your honour, there were no marks or pieces of clothes left on the window grills,” he said, adding that his examination of the scene did not reveal any indication that force had been applied.
Describing the crime scene, he told the court that the window through which Mwathi is alleged to have fallen was entirely covered by grills and had five open gaps.
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When pressed on whether a human being could pass through those gaps, Mureithi gave a measured response.
“Your honour, from a human point of view, a human can pass through the gaps, but it depends on the size of the body,” he told Milimani Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi.
The inquest also delved into the handling of photographic evidence after it emerged that images taken at the scene lacked time and date stamps.
When pressed to explain the omission, Mureithi maintained that such details were not essential.
During cross-examination, the officer was also questioned about individuals linked to the case.
The inquest, which seeks to establish the exact circumstances leading to Mwathi’s death, continues to piece together forensic findings, witness accounts, and expert analysis. [Nancy Gitonga]
He told the court that while he had heard of popular musician Samidoh, he had never met him in person.
“I have heard about Samidoh, but I have never met him,” he said, adding that he was informed that the musician had visited the crime scene.
Mureithi also mentioned Corporal Charles Mutua from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Kasarani, stating that he only knew of him by name and understood he had since been transferred.
“I heard about Cpl Mutua from DCI Kasarani, but I did not work with him. I understand he was transferred,” he testified.
Throughout his testimony, Mureithi reiterated that no physical evidence, such as torn clothing, marks on the grills, or signs of forced movement, was found at the window area to conclusively indicate how Mwathi exited the room.
However, the officer conceded that he could not establish which of the five gaps the deceased allegedly used.
He also confirmed to the court that no blood stains were found on the guitar recovered from the scene.
However, the officer admitted that he did not photograph the instrument during his documentation of the scene.
“There was a guitar next to the shoe rack, but I did not take a photo of it and there were no blood stains observed on the guitar,” he told the inquest.
Mureithi informed the court that he spent approximately three hours at the scene, during which preliminary findings indicated that Mwathi’s body had fallen from the 10th floor of the building.
“By the end of my work, it had been identified that the body had come from the 10th floor,” he testified, adding that crime scenes can be revisited by investigators and other experts where necessary.