The silence at the Karatina Sub-County Hospital mortuary was deafening as the family of George Gathu Matheri received the news they dreaded but expected. The autopsy report is out, and it tells a chilling tale of excessive force and a life cut brutally short by those sworn to protect it.

George Gathu, a well-known businessman, did not die from a stray bullet. He was shot four times—twice in the chest, once in the shoulder, and a fatal round through the head. The pathologist’s findings have shattered the police narrative of a "struggle" and pointed directly to what activists are calling an execution.

"No Chance of Survival"

"The bullets exited the body, causing massive tissue damage," stated the family lawyer, Lilian Nyawira, struggling to hold back tears. "You do not shoot a man in the head if you are trying to disable him. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-11)You shoot to kill."

• The Incident: Gathu was gunned down at a Rubis petrol station in Karatina on Sunday night. Police claimed he attempted to snatch a rifle, a theory the autopsy’s trajectory analysis severely undermines.
• The Aftermath: The officer involved has been detained, and IPOA has taken over the file. But for the people of Nyeri, this is one case too many.

As the family prepares for the burial, the four bullet wounds on George’s body stand as a grim indictment of a police service that too often turns into a death squad. The question on everyone’s lips in Karatina is simple: Who is next?