The late Terence Korir and his wife Ruth
Over two weeks since his controversial death, many questions still linger on the alleged fire accident which claimed the life of 36-year-old Kenyan banker Terence Korir on the morning of April 29, 2020.
The lack of clarity in this unfortunate incident led to an outburst of speculation on social media, influenced by the recent cases of fatal domestic violence incidences.
When the story broke that day, varying unverified and shocking versions of the story emerged from all sections of the internet.
Many claimed it was yet another statistic in the many growing cases of fatal domestic misunderstandings.
However, fresh information has emerged which gives us a brief, much clearer recap of the events leading up to Korir’s untimely death.
In a report by a local daily on Thursday, May 14, Korir is said to have arrived at his home at around 6:30 p.m. on April 28, 2020.
This was after the father of two had spent the entire day at his brother’s home in Ngong.
That day, the Bank of Africa employee is said to have parked his vehicle at a different location, unlike other days when he parked at his designated parking space in an open space close to his wall.
Korir and his 29-year-old wife Ruth Wanjiru Mungai apparently agreed that he would visit a counselor in the city the following day.
The next day, as per the publication, Wanjiru woken up early, took a shower, and went to the bedroom to get dressed.
Korir, on the other hand, was just about to head to the shower, when lights went out and he opted to wait until power was back.
After around 15 minutes, it was restored.
Wanjiru, however, realized that Korir was not in the bathroom.
Minutes later, she heard screams from neighbours who were shouting that a car in their Buruburu estate was on fire.
On getting out of the house, she was met by the shock of her life when she found out that the vehicle was actually her husband’s.
Weighing in on the couple’s marriage, Korir’s mother Betsy Maritim earlier this month told journalists that she and her daughter-in-law were always in communication.
“I have never heard any issue with her. We are constantly in touch,” she stated.
An autopsy conducted by Government Pathologist Johansen Oduwuor on May 5, 2020, revealed that Korir inhaled a lot of soot, an indication that he was alive when the fire started.
ICYMI: Terrence Korir was alive when his car went on fire – Postmortem report shows
According to the expert pathologist, this proved beyond doubt that the victim was breathing normally and just sat and burned to death.
He added that they also discovered empty intestines during the post mortem, indicating that Korir had not eaten for a while before his death.
“He inhaled a lot of soot an indication that he took a lot of time in the car before he died because we saw discolouration of tissues. This happens when you inhale more carbon monoxide,” Oduor explained.
Ash samples from the incident have since been forwarded to the Government Chemist by detectives to establish whether the fire was caused by petrol or paraffin.
Before the postmortem, the pathologists had visited the scene of the incident and analyzed the car, which was cordoned off at Buruburu police station as investigations went on.
He said that other organs, including the brain, lungs, and intestines remained intact, clearing the air on the reports that the victim might have been attacked and his body put into the car in a cover-up.
Earlier this week, investigations into Korir’s death moved into banks after his wife claimed the deceased had transferred Sh 10,000 from her bank without her consent.
Ruth Wanjiru told detectives that her husband transferred the cash via mobile banking on Thursday, April 28, 2020, and later visited his brother.
“The wife to the deceased alleges that the deceased had transferred Sh10,000 from her account through mobile banking against her wish and she later learned that the deceased traveled to Ngong to visit his brother,” said Corporal Godwins Ogola of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Ogola was making an application at the Makadara Law Courts to be granted orders compelling Bank of Africa, Stanbic Bank, and Safaricom Limited to furnish him with details of the couple’s accounts necessary in the investigations. Senior Resident Magistrate Lewis Gatheru granted the orders.
Korir had an account with Bank of Africa while his wife has an account at Stanbic Bank.
Operations managers of the two banks were requested to furnish Ogola with Korir and his wife’s account opening documents and certified bank statements from December 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020.
The banks were also ordered to also furnish the DCI with M-banking statements alongside the documents.
Safaricom was directed to share Korir’s three mobile phone numbers M-Pesa accounts details and transactions during the same period.
