This archive report was first published on 12 September 2021.
On April 5, 2020, Robert Nasongo, a 30-year-old traditional brew seller from Misikhu village in Bungoma County, was allegedly killed by members of the Nyumba Kumi community policing group led by the area assistant chief.
According to his brother Josphat Nasongo, Robert's home was raided by the group, and he was asked to surrender his wife in exchange for his freedom. However, when Robert refused, he was beaten.
Two weeks later, on April 25, six Administration Police officers went to Robert's home and took him away. The family was later informed that Robert had been arrested for assaulting an administrator, but when they visited the police post, they were told that he had been taken to Webuye District hospital after falling ill while in custody.
However, when the family rushed to the hospital, they were shocked to learn that Robert had been dead for some time when the officers brought him in. The family suspects that Robert was tortured before he was killed while in police custody.
Robert's father, Michael Nasongo, believes that the assistant chief framed his son over false accusations and that the body was taken to Webuye Hospital mortuary long after he had been killed.
The family has reported the matter to the Webuye main police station, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) in Kakamega and Nairobi, but they claim that the investigations have been delayed.
