This archive report was first published on 9 July 2021.
On July 7, 2021, at 7pm, the curfew hours had 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 drinking joint, claiming to have found patrons still drinking despite the curfew.
During the commotion, one of the police officers hit Achieng in the head with a rungu, eyewitnesses said. The officers then carried her to their van and took her to St. Camillus Mission Hospital in Karungu, Sori Town, Migori County.
Laknyiero trading centre chairperson Otunga Ogada alleged that by the time Achieng was received at the hospital, she had already died.
A witness, Lawrence Omondi, said the bar had closed by 7pm, but the police officers aggressively banged on the door, forcing Achieng to allow them access. One of the officers then hit her in the head with a rungu, sending her sprawling on the ground.
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, saying it was impossible for Achieng to collapse and die as a result of carrying a crate of beer.
