Betty Bayo’s family writes to DPP seeking exhumation approval

By Newsflash Writer

The family of popular Kikuyu gospel artist Betty Bayo (Beatrice Wairimu Mbugua) has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) demanding the exhumation of her body to facilitate an inquest into what they believe are suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

In a letter dated December 9, 2025, filed by Omenke Andeje & Co. Advocates on behalf of Bayo’s mother, Joyce Wairimu Mbugua, the family insists that the official explanation given regarding her death does not add up.

According to medical reports, the 39-year-old reportedly died from advanced blood cancer—acute myeloid leukemia. But her family strongly disputes this, saying Betty had no history of any underlying medical condition and had never displayed symptoms consistent with such a diagnosis.

Joyce Mbugua says the family remains in deep anguish, unable to understand how their daughter “who never exhibited any illness would just die mysteriously.”

Gaps in cause of her death

In the petition to the DPP, the family outlines several concerns that they believe point to possible foul play.
First, they say Betty had no prior medical history suggestive of leukemia or any other chronic illness. According to the letter, she had never been under long-term treatment, nor had she been diagnosed with any serious condition.

Second, the family claims they were denied access to an autopsy report, despite making repeated requests. Without a postmortem examination, they argue, it is impossible to conclusively determine what caused her death.

A third concern raised is that the deceased was “hurriedly buried”, a move the family believes may have been intended to conceal critical information or interfere with evidence that could shed light on what really happened in her final days.

Additionally, they say they were denied full medical records, including details of what treatment she was receiving prior to her death and what doctors may have observed. This lack of transparency, they argue, has only deepened their suspicions.

Call for urgent inquest and exhumation

The letter urges the DPP to direct the Inspector General of Police to immediately institute an inquest into the death, beginning with the exhumation of Betty Bayo’s body so that a proper postmortem can be conducted.

According to the family, only a fresh and independent forensic examination can help answer the questions that have continued to haunt them and reveal whether there was negligence, cover-up, or foul play.

They maintain that the circumstances of her death violate her constitutional rights under Articles 26(3), 35, and 157(4), and that failing to probe the matter further would amount to denying the family justice.

“The family expresses their utmost disdain,” the lawyers write, insisting that the truth must be uncovered.

As the DPP reviews the request, pressure continues to mount from relatives and close friends who say the official account of Betty Bayo’s death is incomplete and inconsistent with her health history.

If approved, the inquest could open a new chapter in understanding what happened to the young woman whose sudden death continues to raise troubling questions.