This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
On Tuesday last week, a 27-year-old man, Mark Nyamweya, died under mysterious circumstances at the Industrial Area Prison in Nairobi.
According to reports, Nyamweya was among 43 people arrested on Saturday morning for being drunk and disorderly at Moloini Club in Kayole, Nairobi. They were detained at Soweto Police Station.
Of the 43, six were arraigned at a Madaraka court, with Nyamweya pleading guilty. He was fined Sh200 with an alternative fine of seven days in custody but he could not secure his release as he could not raise the money.
Nyamweya died after developing stomach issues, with reports indicating that he had been vomiting and experiencing diarrhea before his death.
His co-accused, James Ongondi, claimed that Nyamweya was given some drugs and water by a police officer at around 12 am on Tuesday, but he continued to groan in pain until his death at around 6 am.
The family of the deceased, through spokesman Nelson Mageto, is demanding answers from both the prison authorities and Soweto Police Station officers.
Mageto wants to know why police failed to inform the family of their nephew's arrest until his demise and why only six people were arraigned out of the 43.
Nairobi regional commander Phillip Ndolo stated that his office is not aware of the incident at the Industrial Police Station but would launch investigations.
