Uproar As Man Dies In Police Cell, Family Says this Is Third Death At The Station
A family in Makueni is demanding full accountability over the death of one Gedion Makau.
Makau was found dead inside a cell at Kilungu Police Station, with his relatives rejecting police claims that he died by suicide.
Makau was arrested on Tuesday evening last week at his business premises in Nunguni Shopping Centre over allegations that he was in possession of a machete.
He was taken to Kilungu Police Station, where he was booked into custody, but by Wednesday morning, his family was informed that he had died.
The family says it was left in the dark over his whereabouts and only learnt of his death after a friend reportedly saw his body being transferred to a morgue.
Police later summoned the relatives and informed them that Makau had allegedly taken his own life using his trousers.
The family has strongly disputed the account, raising questions over how Makau died while in police custody and demanding an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Makau’s mother, Teressia Mbandi, said she did not believe the explanation given by police, arguing that she did not see signs that supported the claim that her son had strangled himself.
“We were being told that he committed suicide using his trousers. This seems to be false because the trousers were not tight and were loose, and even when I checked the neck, there was no sign of strangulation,” Mbandi said.
Makau’s body is currently at the Kilungu Sub-County Mortuary, where the family says it is awaiting a postmortem examination expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding his death.
The family further claims that Makau is the third person to die while being held at the police station.
This recent incident heightens concerns over deaths in police custody that have in several cases triggered investigations and court proceedings.
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The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has joined the case, while the family is demanding the immediate transfer of the officers attached to the station as investigations into the circumstances surrounding Makau’s death continue.
In Githurai 44, Nairobi, a family is also seeking justice after their kin, Eric Muiruri, who worked as a club bouncer, was allegedly shot dead by a police officer following a confrontation at a bar.
Muiruri is alleged to have fought with a club manager who was subsequently overpowered and called the police.
His family claims officers arrived at the scene and shot him, before allegedly claiming that he had been found in possession of stolen items.
His mother, Joyce Njoki, also alleged that her son pleaded with one of the officers not to shoot him and asked to speak to his mother.
For two days, the family said it had been unable to obtain an Occurrence Book number from Githurai 44 Police Station, where the incident allegedly occurred.
Efforts to obtain a comment from police at Kasarani Divisional Headquarters on the status of the investigations were unsuccessful.
Uproar As Man Dies In Police Cell, Family Says this Is Third Death At The Station
