A Nairobi doctor testified on Tuesday in the High Court murder trial of rally driver Maxine Wahome, stating that the late Assad Khan arrived at Nairobi Hospital in shock, unconscious, and bleeding heavily from a deep leg wound on December 12, 2022.
Dr. David Abaya, relying on medical records, told Justice Lilian Mutende that Khan’s condition was critical as he was gasping for air, slipping in and out of consciousness and had a dangerously high blood alcohol level of 203 mg/dl, which had severely depressed his central nervous system.
Though Wahome’s defense team claimed the injury was self-inflicted when Khan kicked a glass pane in a fit of rage, hospital records indicated the wound was caused by a sharp object.
The court also heard that ketamine, later detected in Khan’s system, had been administered at the hospital to manage severe pain.
Despite emergency care and a subsequent transfer to Avenue Hospital, where he remained in ICU for six days, Khan died from septicemia.
His relatives told doctors he had been assaulted by a woman known to him.
The testimony contradicted claims that Khan’s deteriorating condition stemmed from negligence or delayed treatment, with Dr. Abaya firmly dismissing allegations that Nairobi Hospital demanded a Ksh 600,000 deposit or blood donations prior to admission.
He maintained that life-saving interventions were prioritized immediately upon Khan’s arrival.
Cross-examination by Wahome’s defense, led by Senior Counsel Philip Murgor and Steve Kimathi, focused on the presence of ketamine in Khan’s system and specimens collected from his Kileleshwa residence, subtly suggesting alternate sources of injury or intoxication.
