A 33-year-old man, Raymond Nachibati, died in police custody in Kakamega County just hours after his arrest.
Nachibati was reportedly arrested on the afternoon of August 9, 2025, along with two others, following an alleged altercation. Nachibati's body was later discovered in a cell at the Budonga Police Post hours after the arrest.
His family is now demanding justice and an immediate, independent investigation into the circumstances of his death.
Navakholo Sub-County Police Commander Mohammed Hassan reported that Nachibati appeared both intoxicated and depressed at the time of his arrest and alleged that he took his own life while in custody.
Hassan added that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are now working with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to determine the true cause of Nachibati's death.
“Unfortunately, he took his own life. He appeared drunk when he was arrested, but we did not anticipate he would go to such an extreme."
“He was booked into custody at approximately 3 pm and was found dead less than two hours later. The scene has been secured and is currently under forensic examination by crime scene experts,” Hassan said.
Nachibati's brother Sylvanus Waswa Ibrahim Barasa narrated that when they went to the police post to inquire about his arrest, he was shocked to learn about his death.
“We were surprised because our brother was taken in alongside his wife and her brother. But the two were not held in the cell; only Raymond was. We suspect foul play,” Waswa said.
Their father, Anderson Makokha, stated that Nachibati's altercation incident shocked him and it should have been solved at home, not in the market.
“I was deeply shocked to hear that my son had been arrested over a fight with his wife. This was a family issue we could have handled ourselves,” Makokha said.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) reports that more than 20 people have died in police custody in the past four months alone. While Nachibati's is the most recent case, the death of Albert Ojwang in June sparked widespread protests across the country.
Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and blogger, was arrested in Homa Bay for allegedly criticizing a senior police official online. Although police initially claimed he died after hitting his head against a cell wall, an autopsy revealed he had severe head injuries, and his death was deemed unlikely to be self-inflicted.
