This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
On July 7, 2021, at 7pm, the curfew hours had just begun in Gwasi, Suba South Sub-County, Homa Bay County, one of the 13 Covid-19 hotspot areas in Kenya.
Caroline Achieng, a 35-year-old cashier at a bar in Laknyiero trading centre, was closing the day's account when uniformed police officers stormed the premises, claiming to have found patrons still drinking.
According to eyewitnesses, one of the police officers hit Achieng in the head with a rungu during the commotion that ensued.
Laknyiero trading centre chairperson Otunga Ogada alleged that the police officers carried Achieng to their van and took her to St. Camillus Mission Hospital in Karungu, Sori Town in Migori County, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
A witness, Lawrence Omondi, disputed the police's account, stating that the bar had closed by 7pm and that the police officers had aggressively banged on the door, forcing Achieng to allow them access.
However, Homa Bay County Police Commander Anthony Njeru denied the allegations, stating that Achieng was ordered to carry a crate of beer and walk towards the patrol officers, when she collapsed and died.
Suba South youth leader, Brian Mino, faulted Njeru's narrative, urging the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to conduct independent investigations into the matter.
