Female NHIF staff who collapsed and died in CBD had been shot – autopsy reveals

Detectives have launched investigations after a woman collapsed and died in the Central Business District (CBD) on Monday evening. According to the police, Lilian Waithera 46, who works at the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) collapsed and died along Kaunda Street, Nairobi.

Witnesses and police said as she was walking she started to complain of chest pain on February 13, at about 5 pm. She then collapsed and lost her breath. Her colleagues who were with her called an ambulance which arrived in time but the responders declared her dead at the scene. She had walked from her place of work in Upper Hill and was headed home when the incident happened.

Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said they are investigating the incident. He said the body was taken to the mortuary pending autopsy and further probe. It has now been revealed that Ms Waithera had been shot moments before she collapsed.

“The female NHIF staff who collapsed and died along Kaunda Street on Monday evening had been shot from an elevated angle. Autopsy revealed the bullet was lodged in her lungs,” police said in a follow-up report on Tuesday.

The bullet was found after the deceased had been transferred from Nairobi Hospital Mortuary where she had been taken after the incident. Her family on Tuesday transferred her body to the Kenyatta University Mortuary where an autopsy was conducted by Dr Kamonde who declared that the cause of death was as a result of shooting after a bullet was found lounged in the lungs of the deceased.

“The bullet entered through the collar bone having been fired from an elevated angle,” police added.

The bullet head has since been handed over to the police for ballistic examination. Police have since opened a file and handed over the case to detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for further investigations.