Court told drug and alcohol mix led to rally driver Assad Khan’s fatal injuries
Wahome has maintained that Khan injured himself and that she was not responsible for his death. He died while undergoing treatment at Avenue Hospital.
A government analyst has told the High Court that rally driver Assad Khan had traces of a narcotic drug in his system, which, when abused, could lead to abnormal and violent behaviour.
Dr M. Muthini, who examined samples from Khan’s body, said this when he testified in the murder trial of rally driver Maxine Wahome before Justice Lilian Mutende.
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The doctor stated that an analysis of Khan’s stomach contents revealed the presence of ketamine, a narcotic substance.
He told the court that the combination of ketamine and whisky caused hallucinogenic effects.
“As a result of taking the drug mixed with whisky, it caused Assad to behave like 'Superman',” Muthini testified, referring to the fictional superhero.
The court heard that Khan’s intoxicated state led him to kick a steel door panel, causing a serious leg injury that bled heavily.
Forensic report
Muthini presented his forensic report dated September 26, 2023, as Exhibit 10(c). The report detailed various specimens analysed to help determine Khan’s cause of death.
“Assad Khan’s stomach contents included traces of ketamine, a narcotic substance that causes hallucinogenic effects when abused,” he said.
Muthini explained that such hallucinogenic effects could make an abuser attempt dangerous actions, including jumping off buildings or breaking walls.
Under cross-examination by Senior Counsel Philip Murgor and lawyer Steven Kimanthi, Muthini maintained that the mix of drugs and alcohol made Khan violent.
The report was supported by Dr Oloo Walong, a pathologist hired by Wahome’s family to conduct an autopsy.
He told the court that the ketamine-whisky combination led to what he called “episodic delirium,” a condition that triggers violent aggression.
Wahome has denied killing Khan on the night of December 12, 2022.
Walong testified that Khan died from an infection he developed while receiving treatment. The infection, he said, was linked to the leg injury he suffered from kicking the door panel.
The court heard that Khan kicked the door after Wahome locked herself on the balcony of their Preston Court Apartment in Kileleshwa, Nairobi.
Wahome has maintained that Khan injured himself and that she was not responsible for his death. He died while undergoing treatment at Avenue Hospital.
Both Walong and Dr Njenga, a government pathologist who performed the autopsy, concluded that Khan died from fungal and gram-negative bacterial septicemia.
Wahome, who is out on bond, has insisted that Khan, while intoxicated, attacked her and tried to break a glass door to reach the keys she had placed outside after locking herself on the kitchen balcony to escape a beating.
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