This archive report was first published on 13 July 2021.
On July 11, 2021, Robert Mureithi, a 30-year-old charcoal dealer from Ngara, Nairobi, died under unclear circumstances in a cell at Pangani Police Station.
According to his family, Mureithi's body showed visible marks on his wrists, leg, and arms, with his clothes soaked in water and bruises oozing blood around his head.
Speaking at the City Mortuary in Nairobi, where they had gone to identify the body, Mureithi's brother Isaac Ngotho said, 'From our deep observation, he suffered a fracture on his leg and his hands appeared to have been tied.'
Police had arrested Mureithi on July 8, 2021, around 7pm, over alleged breaking of Covid-19 social distancing rules, and he was due to be released on Friday evening after paying a fine of Sh200 or serving seven days in jail.
However, police denied reports that Mureithi could have collapsed following a scuffle among inmates over overcrowding in the cell, with Starehe police boss Julius Kiragu stating that Mureithi had collapsed and doctors who were called in to assist could not offer much help since Mureithi had died around 7am on Sunday morning.
