Man Arrested Over Curfew Violation Dies Inside Pangani Police Cells

A 30-year-old man died inside Pangani Police Station cells. He was in custody after failing to raise Ksh200 for a fine ordered by a Magistrate at Makadara Law Courts.

Robert Mureithi had been arrested last week for breaking curfew rules and police were holding him waiting for the court to issue orders for him to be processed and taken to remand.

The Standard spoke to Starehe police boss Julius Kiragu who confirmed that that Mureithi died on Saturday, July 11, inside the police cells.

Undated image of Pangani Police Station

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“The deceased was arrested last week for breaking curfew rules, he appeared in court for a virtual session at Makadara Law Courts on Friday around 3pm and had to be returned to the station,” he told the publication.

"The suspect collapsed in the cell and the cause has not been established, Officer Commanding the Station checked into the cell to check on the inmates around 7am and found someone had collapsed he alerted MSF doctors for assistance but when they arrived, he was already dead," he added.

Kiragu also dismissed reports claiming there had been a scuffle inside the police cells due to overcrowding.

In 2020 when Covid-19 was ravaging the world, residents of Kirinyaga staged protests outside the Wang'uru Police Station after two remandees died under mysterious circumstances. 

The two prisoners were suspected to have died of Covid-19 after developing symptoms related to the deadly virus.

Kirinyaga County Police Commander Leah Kithei confirmed that the two remandees died, but was non-committal on the cause of death.

"Convicts are held at the police holding facilities and must get Covid-19 clearance certificates before being taken to the Prison to serve their terms," Kithei stated.

The two remandees were part of five convicts who were rushed to the Kimbimbi Sub-County Hospital from the station.

The three were reportedly in serious condition after complaining of breathing difficulties, cough and chest pains.

According to reports, the families of the two inmates who died at the station in Mwea are accusing police of foul play, claiming that the inmates had visible head injuries.

Crowds gathered inside the police station to protest the death of the two inmates as they suspected that Covid-19 was their cause of death.

An entrance to a Kenya police station in a photo dated 2018

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