A man who is locked in an inheritance dispute with the children of the late Mwai Kibaki has now secured the services of an expert in his bid to prove he is the son of the former President.
Jacob Ocholla, who last year failed to secure a court order allowing DNA tests to be conducted, is now banking on the services of the expert, one Zakayo Limiri Thaimuta.
In an affidavit filed at the High Court in Nairobi, Thaimuta submitted a forensic report detailing why he believes Ocholla and Mwai Kibaki are related.
The expert told the court he compiled the report dated January 19, 2023, following a request by Ocholla to assess and comment on the similarity between himself and the former Head of State.
“Upon analysis of photos, I form an opinion that there is a significant similarity between the two individuals: Jacob Ocholla Mwai and Mwai Kibaki,” the report says in part.
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According to Thaimuta, the nose, forehead, eyelids and lips of the two resemble. He says they also share a similar body frame, facial features and sitting posture.
“The following items are distinctly identifiable: The craniofacial features and morphology of nose, forehead, eyelids and lips resemble. The cheeks and cheekbone are similar. Sustained eye contact and eye blinking are similar. The baldness between the compared photos is similar. Speech and lips movement (also show) similarity,” he said.
“The similarity assessment by analysing phenotypic features suggests that Jacob Ocholla Mwai and Mwai Kibaki are related,” the expert concluded.
The expert recommended DNA test to ascertain his analysis.
“Phenotypic assessment outcome be validated with either siblingship test or paternity test. Siblingship test be applied if there are known relatives of the deceased. In this case, Y chromosome analysis will be dependable,” he said.
The hearing of the case is expected to resume on July 28, 2023.
