Today, on February 16, a man committed suicide at Ting'ang'a Police Station in Kiambu County shortly after being booked. His death occurred following a domestic altercation he had with his wife earlier that morning.
Upon the reporting of the death, residents familiar with the story and community members gathered around the police station and staged unrest outside the police offices.
They refuted the claims of suicide, alleging that the officials were responsible owing to the sequence of events and the facts presented.
"The police cell is a holding place, and it's challenging to hang oneself as the rooms are small and caged. Therefore, we are questioning the type of officers we have here, especially when someone is arrested and reported dead moments later," one of the Kiambu residents stated.
Confirming the incident, Kiambu sub-county police commander Mohammed Badel, accompanied by two other senior officers, visited the scene. Badel stated that the suspect had hung himself near the main door of the cell using a vest he was wearing.
"I left them here, quarreling with his wife, and now I'm hearing he has been arrested and beaten. We demand justice," another lamented.
The suspect's body was moved to Kiambu mortuary for storage.
As of now, the police officers have launched further investigations to clarify the circumstances surrounding the mystery of this death.
"We are also inviting other agencies to launch investigations so that we can all ascertain the cause of his death," Mohammed stated following the residents' uproar.
He urged the local community to remain calm and allow due process to occur, waiting for further direction as they delve into the matter.
On February 15, another 22-year-old man was also reported to have committed suicide inside a police cell, one hour after being booked.
As per the police report, the man who was arrested for allegedly defiling a 17-year-old used a sisal rope to take his own life.
