Student Dies in Police Custody as Family Demands Answers

The family in Kiambu County has called for justice, following the death of their son, Brian Njunge Ndungu (24), while in custody at Kiambu Police Station.

Brian was an architecture student at Kiambu National Polytechnic (KINAP).

Brian had allegedly been apprehended by police for a crime they claimed involved the theft of household items belonging to a neighbor.

He was arrested a few days after settling in a new house in Kiambu and was detained at Kiambu Police Station.

The family received a call from the caretaker asking them to visit the police station, and on arrival, they found two women who greeted them instead of the officers.

Family Disputing the Police’s Claim 

The two women took the family for counseling without mentioning Brian’s location.

“I reached there, only to find my son hanged. That really hurt me. I was not prepared to see such. He was in blood-stained clothes,” Brian’s mother, Lucy Njunge, told journalists.

The police acknowledged Brian’s death while assuring the public that he had hanged himself with a mattress cover.

Kiambu East police commander Elema Sora said the student was not known to the officers who arrested him.

“There is no one who has got any problem with the young man at all… It is unfortunate that he found himself in police custody and died. While in custody, we do not know him, but we arrested him, and he died while in our custody,” said Sora.

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Custodial Deaths in Kenya and Calls for Public Inquests

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) expressed its concern over Brian’s death and promised the family its legal services while calling for a public inquest.

“The Law Society of Kenya expresses its profound outrage and dismay over the sudden and suspicious death of 24-year-old Brian Njunge, an architecture student at Kiambu National Polytechnic, under the police’s custodial care at the Kiambu Police Station,” stated the LSK.

“The LSK will tirelessly advocate for the conduct of mandatory public inquests and will not stand idle by while custodial deaths and administrative negligence are normalized and condoned,” LSK added.

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The case joins a growing list of other reported deaths while in police custody in Kenya.

Recently, Albert Ojwang died while held at the Central Police Station in Nairobi after his alleged suicide.

Brian’s family claims that the state of his body does not reflect suicide and has demanded a full and independent investigation into his death while in police custody.

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Family demands justice after 24-year-old student dies in Kiambu Police Station custody. LSK pledges support and calls for a public inquest. / PHOTO PCS