Businessman Francis Nganga recounts wife Lucy Wambui’s final days after surgery at Body by Design

The ongoing inquiry into the controversial wellness clinic Body by Design (Omnicare Medical Limited) has taken a harrowing turn as Francis Nganga Mundia, widower to the late Lucy Wambui Nganga, delivered a chilling testimony detailing the events leading to his wife’s death following a botched cosmetic procedure.

Lucy reportedly sought abdominal fat reduction services from Body by Design after encountering an online advertisement promising drastic weight loss; from 100kg to 50/60kg.

According to her husband, she scheduled an appointment for October 16, 2024, but failed to disclose that she would undergo surgery that day, accompanied by her cousin, Gitau.

Crucially, Mr. Mundia also alleges he was never contacted to sign a consent form for the operation. On October 17, he visited his wife at the clinic.

“She told me she had undergone the operation and was in pain,” he recounted in court on Monday. But what he witnessed next raised alarm.

“She had a foul smell. When I asked the nurse, she said it was normal. But when I saw holes under her belly, I asked my children to leave the room.”

By October 18, Lucy’s condition had deteriorated. She was in visible agony, screaming, “I’m dying,” yet, according to Mr. Mundia, no medical staff responded to her cries. “I called for a nurse, but she was unwilling to help,” he said.

On October 20, Lucy reportedly told her husband she was going to die and pleaded with him to care for their children, especially their 13-year-old daughter. “She was kneeling, crying in pain, but no one came to help,” he said.

The following day, Mr. Mundia was informed that Lucy had been discharged. “When I got home, she was worse. She never even got out of the car,” he said.

Upon returning to the clinic, he discovered it had been abruptly closed. Gitau, the cousin, confirmed the closure.

Inside the shuttered facility, Mr. Mundia found his wife in a room, still alive but in critical condition. He immediately called an ambulance, which rushed her to the Nairobi Hospital.

At Nairobi Hospital, doctors questioned the source of the stench emanating from Lucy’s body. Mr. Mundia told them she had been “pierced by quack doctors.” She was admitted to a general ward and transferred to the ICU the next morning.

On October 24, Lucy asked her husband to pray for her. Moments later, doctors requested his signature for an emergency operation. The surgical team discovered that approximately 1.5 kilograms of fecal matter had leaked into her abdominal cavity—a catastrophic infection.

Two days later, on October 26, Lucy succumbed to her injuries. Mr. Mundia, himself unwell due to elevated blood sugar levels, was unable to view her body immediately. She was later transferred to the Lee Funeral Home.

Mr. Mundia reported the incident to Muthangari Police Station. The case has since been taken up by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Homicide Unit, where he recorded a formal statement.

“If my wife had undergone a simple piercing, she could have gone to a different hospital,” he lamented. “Why did the directors of Body by Design hire unqualified doctors?”

As the hearing continues, the public awaits answers. The case raises serious questions about the regulation of cosmetic clinics, the qualifications of practitioners, and the accountability of those who profit from vulnerable patients seeking transformation.