Imagine being sentenced to life in prison for a crime you didn’t commit — all because of a second-hand phone. That’s the shocking reality of Dr. Clement Munyao Katiku, a former neurosurgeon at Kenyatta National Hospital, whose life took a devastating turn in 2009.
Dr. Munyao was no ordinary man. A brilliant mind in medicine, he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nairobi in 1980, and later earned a Master’s in Human Medicine and Pathology in 1987. His thirst for knowledge even took him to Scotland, where he obtained a second master’s degree in forensic medicine and pathology in 1990.
But all his achievements couldn’t shield him from what came next.
In 2009, as his daughter was preparing to join Moi Kabarak University in Eldoret, she insisted on having a phone before leaving. That same day, a young man whom Dr. Munyao had once helped secure a job at Kenyatta Hospital approached him, asking for KSh 1,000 to attend a burial in Makueni. In a seemingly harmless gesture, Dr. Munyao offered him his phone in exchange for the cash.
What he didn’t know was that the phone was linked to a serious crime — a murder involving the brother of former Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere.
Soon after, strange calls started coming in. Then came the unexpected: officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) showed up at his home. They informed him that his daughter and her boyfriend, Justus, were in custody at Kilimani Police Station. Justus had been found with the phone — the same one Dr. Munyao had unknowingly passed down.
Shockingly, his own daughter allegedly mentioned her father during questioning, dragging him into the investigation. What followed was a complex probe into the phone’s chain of ownership, involving several people — including the murder victim.
Despite maintaining his innocence and presenting his side of the story, Dr. Munyao was charged along with eight others. His efforts to clear his name fell on deaf ears. He was convicted and sentenced to death — a verdict later reduced to life imprisonment after appeal attempts failed.
Now behind bars, Dr. Munyao reflects on how a single moment of trust changed his life forever. He warns others to be cautious when dealing with law enforcement and to never ignore the potential consequences of even the smallest transactions.
His story stands as a chilling reminder of how quickly life can unravel — and how justice can sometimes go tragically wrong.
