Police Custody Death Scandal
A postmortem examination has shown that a man who died while in police custody in Migori County passed away due to asphyxia.
On Thursday, October 2, Vocal Africa’s Executive Director, Hussein Khalid, confirmed the findings of the postmortem, which has sparked new questions about the events surrounding his death.
“Alan Kamau Kimani, who lost his life inside a police post in Migori county, died as a result of asphyxia – loss of oxygen,” he said.
According to Khalid, things took a troubling turn during the postmortem when a police officer involved in the case showed up in the examination room.
“In a surprise turn of events, the same police officer who was demanding Ksh15,000 before Alan died, sneaked into the postmortem room and was questioning the pathologist, investigators and family members,” he added.
The incident sparked concerns about possible interference in the investigation, and Khalid pointed out that the officer ran away after being confronted.
“When his identity was revealed and he was asked why he was interfering, he hurriedly left. The prime suspect in the matter is directly interfering in an ongoing investigation,” he concluded.
A 40-year-old man tragically passed away while in the custody of the Komomwamu Police Post.
In a statement released on Tuesday, September 30, Khalid shared that Kimani was taken into custody late last week due to allegations of illegally cutting down trees.
Khalid also mentioned that Kimani’s mother, Mary Wambui, received a series of distressing phone calls from officers just before she found out about her son’s death.
“40 years old Alan Kamau Kimani was arrested on Thursday, 25th September for allegedly cutting down trees. He was taken to Komomwamu Police Post in Kuria West, Migori County. Kimani’s mother, Mary Wambui, said she was informed of Kimani’s arrest by a police officer through a phone call and went to see him at the police post,” he said.
Khalid mentioned that Wambui was reportedly pressured to pay money to secure her son’s release and was later threatened with serious consequences if she failed to come up with the cash.
“She claims she was asked to part with Ksh15,000 to have Kimani released, an amount she didn’t have. The next day Friday, 26th September, Wambui received a call from an officer at the police post who allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she does not go with the money,” he added.
According to Khalid, it was on the very same day that Wambui got the heartbreaking call about her son’s death.
“A few hours later on the same Friday, she received another call from the same officer, this time informing her of her son’s death. Wambui says police told her that Kimani committed suicide while in custody,” he further said.
Khalid has confirmed that Vocal Africa is already collaborating with oversight bodies, such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), to get to the bottom of the facts.
“These claims have raised a lot of concerns and tension in the area. The family is now calling for the arrest of the police officers involved and justice for their kin.
“Vocal Africa is in touch with the family and Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to undertake the autopsy and commence the process of finding justice for Alan Kamau Kimani,” he concluded.
Police Custody Death Scandal
