Tension gripped Likii slum in Nanyuki after police officers blocked protesters from entering Nanyuki town.
The demonstrators were demanding justice for Julia Njoki, who was arrested during Saba Saba protests and allegedly tortured by police officers while in custody.
The protesters blocked the main road into Nanyuki town, lighting fires and erecting barricades, demanding the arrest of the police officer who allegedly hit Njoki so that justice can be served.
The 24-year-old died in unclear circumstances while in custody after failing to pay a Sh50,000 bond.
Njoki was heading home on the fateful evening of the July 7 protests, when she was rounded up with other protesters and taken to Nanyuki Police Station where she spent the night.
She was later arraigned in Nanyuki Law Courts to answer to charges of malicious damage and was held at Nanyuki Women’s Prison remand.
She was later taken to hospital after developing complications and succumbed while receiving treatment.
A preliminary medical report obtained by the family indicates that Njoki suffered blunt force trauma to the head, consistent with a severe beating.
The Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) said that Njoki was admitted to prison on July 8 at around 5:20pm with four other women and started complaining of dizziness, headache and stomach pains at around 7:00pm.
She was taken to the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital and her condition worsened on the morning of July 9, and she was referred for a CT scan to Cottage Hospital.
Njoki’s father said she was admitted to the hospital’s ICU at 11:00pm and underwent surgery the next morning.
She met her untimely death on July 12.
Her family is now demanding justice as they remain unconvinced about the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s death.
A postmortem examination is expected to be conducted on Tuesday next week to ascertain the cause of death.
The incident has sparked uproar because it falls on the heels of the death of teacher Albert Ojwang’ who was tortured while in police custody and was taken to hospital already dead.
Police said formal misconduct complaint has been recorded yet in the death of a woman arrested during the Saba Saba protests in Nanyuki and allegedly tortured by officers while in custody.
“To date, no formal complaint has been recorded alleging any misconduct—whether by commission or omission,” NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said.
“Nevertheless, the relevant agencies will conduct swift, transparent, and credible investigations into the matter, and accountability will follow.”
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