Kenya’s police force is once again under the spotlight after a 26-year-old man died while in custody, prompting a fresh investigation by the country’s police watchdog.
The case comes barely three months after a similar incident sparked nationwide outrage and protests.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) confirmed on Tuesday that it has launched a probe into the death of Simon Warui, who was arrested in Nairobi and later transferred nearly 500 kilometers to Mombasa, where he was found dead in a police station cell on September 17.
An autopsy revealed injuries “consistent with a fall from a height.” However, rights groups have dismissed the explanation as an attempt to conceal abuse.
VOCAL Africa, in a statement on X, condemned the death as “a lie to mask state violence,” demanding accountability and justice.
Kenya has a long history of allegations of police brutality and extrajudicial killings. IPOA reported in June that 18 people died in police custody within just four months this year.
Warui’s death echoes the case of Albert Ojwang, 31, who died in custody in June under suspicious circumstances.
Police initially claimed Ojwang fatally injured himself by banging his head against a wall, but a government pathologist concluded the injuries were “unlikely to be self-inflicted.”
The case triggered street protests, and three officers were later charged in connection with his death.
With Warui’s death now under investigation, civil society groups warn of a growing crisis of impunity within the Kenyan police, urging swift reforms and prosecution of those responsible.
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