The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched an investigation into the death of a Boda Boda rider while in police custody in Nairobi County.
In a statement on Monday, December 15, IPOA announced that it had opened inquiries into the death of Jack Leon Matoke, who was reported dead hours after he was booked at Kawangware police post on Thursday, December 11.
As part of the investigations, IPOA documented the scene of the incident and established contact with the deceased's family to keep them informed on the progress of the investigations.
Officials from the investigative agency also attended a post-mortem at the City Mortuary on Monday to gather crucial medical findings , which are expected to be released some time this week.
As mandated under under Section 7 of the IPOA Act, CAP 86 of the Laws of Kenya, IPOA is also set to submit recommendations to relevant state agencies, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) should any liability be identified.
In the wake of the death of the boda boda rider, questions were raised about the circumstances which led up to his demise, particularly because he passed away just hours after detention.
The 23-year-old boda boda rider was arrested and taken to the Kawangware police station in Nairobi at around 7 pm on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
Police accounts indicate that the suspect passed away from self-harm, using his T-shirt to take his life while alone in his cell.
However, the family disputes this account, insisting that the body was still wearing the same clothes as when he was arrested.
Activist Hussein Khalid, who was present during the autopsy on Monday, revealed that police have since changed their story, instead claiming that the suspect took his life using a shoestring, further poking holes in their account of events.
According to reports, the T-shirt supposedly used in the alleged suicide has not yet been produced.
“When we arrived at the City Mortuary and saw Jack’s body, we found marks on his neck. The marks looked like they were drawn, similar to tattoos. Secondly, all the clothes that a motorcycle rider normally wears were still on his body. I asked myself, Where is the item he used to hang himself? I did not see it,” one family member claimed.
IPOA emphasised impartiality in its investigations, reiterating that the probe was conducted independently and free from any external influence.
