The investigation into the Body by Design (Omnicare Medical Limited) wellness clinic unearthed heartbreaking details, as Francis Nganga Mundia, widower of the late Lucy Wambui Nganga, recounted a harrowing account of the events that led to his wife’s death following a cosmetic procedure.
Lucy reportedly sought abdominal fat reduction services at Body by Design after seeing an online advertisement promising dramatic weight loss from 100kg to 50-60kg.
Testifying before Principal Magistrate Christine Njagi at the Kibera High Court, Mr Mundia stated that she booked an appointment for October 16, 2024, without informing him that she would undergo surgery that day. She was accompanied by her cousin, Gitau. Court testimony showed that Lucy paid Sh693,000 for the surgery, intended to remove fat from her abdomen.
Mr. Mundia also claims he was never contacted to sign a consent form for the procedure. The following day, on October 17, he visited his wife at the clinic.
“She told me she had undergone the operation and was in pain,” he testified in court on Monday. But what he saw next left him horrified.
“She had a foul smell. When I asked the nurse, she said it was normal. But when I saw holes under her belly, I asked my children to leave the room.”
By October 18, Lucy’s condition had deteriorated further. She was in visible agony, screaming, “I’m dying,” yet, according to Mr. Mundia, no medical staff attended to her. “I called for a nurse, but she was unwilling to help,” he said.
Two days later, on October 20, Lucy reportedly told her husband she feared she was going to die and asked him to care for their children, particularly their 13-year-old daughter. “She was kneeling, crying in pain, but no one came to help,” he recalled.
The following day, Mr. Mundia was informed that Lucy had been discharged. “When I got home, she was worse. She never even got out of the car,” he said.
When he returned to the clinic, he discovered it had been abruptly closed. Gitau, his wife’s cousin, confirmed the facility’s sudden shutdown.
Inside the shuttered clinic, Mr. Mundia found Lucy still alive but in critical condition. He immediately called an ambulance, which rushed her to Nairobi Hospital.
At Nairobi Hospital, doctors questioned the source of the foul odor coming from Lucy’s body. Mr. Mundia explained that she had been “pierced by quack doctors.” She was admitted to a general ward and transferred to the ICU the following morning.
On October 24, Lucy asked her husband to pray for her. Shortly afterward, doctors requested his signature for an emergency operation. During surgery, the team discovered that approximately 1.5 kilograms of fecal matter had leaked into her abdominal cavity, causing a catastrophic infection.
Tragically, two days later, on October 26, Lucy succumbed to her injuries. Mr. Mundia, who was himself unwell due to high blood sugar, was unable to view her body immediately. She was later taken to Lee Funeral Home.
Mr. Mundia reported the incident to Muthangari Police Station. The case is now under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Homicide Unit, where he has recorded a formal statement.
“If my wife had undergone a simple piercing, she could have gone to a different hospital,” he lamented. “Why did the directors of Body by Design hire unqualified doctors?”
The case has been filed against Dr. Robert Maweu Mutula and Body by Design directors George Wakaria Njoronge and Lilian Edna Wanjiru Mwariri. The three are accused of causing Ms. Wambui’s death on October 16, 2024.
The hearing continues as the public awaits answers and accountability from the clinic.
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