Tension is running high in Nanyuki’s Likii slum after protests erupted over the alleged torture and subsequent death of 24-year-old Julia Njoki while in police custody.
Demonstrators, angered by the circumstances surrounding Njoki’s death, clashed with police on Monday after officers blocked them from marching into Nanyuki town. Protesters lit fires and erected barricades on the main road, demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of the officer alleged to have assaulted Njoki.
Njoki was reportedly arrested during the Saba Saba demonstrations on July 7 while heading home. According to her family, she was among a group rounded up by police and detained at Nanyuki Police Station after failing to pay a Ksh.50,000 bond. She was later arraigned in court on charges of malicious damage and remanded at Nanyuki Women’s Prison.
Shortly after her admission to prison on July 8, Njoki began complaining of dizziness, stomach pain, and a severe headache. The Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) reported that she was taken to Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital that evening, and later transferred to Cottage Hospital for a CT scan as her condition deteriorated.
Her father told The Standard that she was admitted to the intensive care unit on the night of July 9 and underwent surgery the following morning. Njoki died three days later, on July 12.
A preliminary medical report accessed by the family indicates she suffered blunt force trauma to the head, consistent with a violent beating. The family has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the official narrative and is demanding accountability, justice, and a full investigation into her death.
A postmortem is scheduled for Tuesday to determine the exact cause of death.
The case has triggered national outrage, coming shortly after the controversial death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’, who also died after alleged police brutality while in custody.
Human rights activists and civil society groups have condemned the rising cases of custodial deaths, calling for independent investigations and urgent police reforms.
Written By Rodney Mbua
