Man Found Dead in Nyandarua Cell Shortly After Arrest, Police Cite Suicide

A wave of public anger is building in Turasha following the death of Simon Tumbi Kihanya, 44, who died in police custody at Turasha Police Station less than an hour after being detained on Monday. 

Kihanya was arrested on Monday afternoon while on his way to Turasha market, allegedly for possessing a jacket linked to a known drug dealer. However, discrepancies in the police record, specifically the use of the name "Ruigi Ndubi" in the Occurrence Book (OB), are raising questions about the veracity of the official account.

According to the police narrative, Kihanya was booked at 11:36 am for obstructing officers while appearing intoxicated. He was then found dead in his cell at 12:49 pm, with authorities attributing the death to suicide. However, the family disputes this account, stating they were not informed of Kihanya's death until after 4:00 pm. This delay, coupled with the unusual circumstances, is intensifying scrutiny of police procedures and transparency.

Local leaders are echoing the family's concerns. Githioro Ward Member of County Assembly Isaac Mbae is challenging the feasibility of the alleged suicide method. Mbae questions how someone could have committed suicide in a police cell by kneeling, given that the door knob is less than a metre from the floor.

Family members corroborate this scepticism. 

Simon Irungu, Kihanya's uncle, inspected the cell and pointed to the location of the door latch, approximately two feet above the ground, as making suicide improbable. Irungu maintains that Kihanya was healthy at the time of his arrest, and his family are demanding a full and transparent investigation into the true cause of death.

The Turasha police and senior officers are remaining largely silent on the matter. Kipipiri Sub-county Police Commander Bridget Kanini states she is under instruction not to comment. Efforts to contact Nyandarua County Police Commander Stella Cherono have been unsuccessful. Political leaders are adding their voices to the demand for accountability. 

Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia is calling for the suspension of any post-mortem examination until the family and independent parties are included in the process. Muhia warns that police stations should be sanctuaries for citizens in danger, but incidents such as this are turning them into death traps. Former MP Simon Gichigi has expressed concern over what he describes as a breakdown in basic justice safeguards. 

He questions how someone arrested for allegedly possessing a jacket linked to a cannabis dealer can die in a police cell, and the police then claim suicide. Gichigi is demanding the immediate interdiction of the officers involved and oversight from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). He is also questioning the validity of the original complaint, considering the jacket owner never lodged one.

The inconsistencies in the OB entry, the delay in notifying next of kin, and the nature of the alleged suicide are stirring wider concerns about systemic issues within the policing system. Critics argue that without swift and impartial inquiry, incidents such as this risk becoming mere statistics, eroding public trust in institutions that are meant to uphold the rule of law. This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing concerns about custodial deaths in Kenya.