This archive report was first published on 21 July 2019.
Onesmas Manyara, a 27-year-old man, died in police custody in Molo, Nakuru County, sparking a family's quest for justice. According to his mother, Sophia Kwamboka, Manyara was allegedly beaten by his employer on claims of having stolen a car battery.
On Thursday last week, Manyara was booked at Molo police station in a critical state. Molo police commander Isaac Odumbe admitted that Manyara was dropped at the station by his employer in a critical state, saying, 'The deceased died while being driven to hospital. He was in a critical state.'
However, in a contradictory statement, Odumbe said they were waiting for a postmortem report as Manyara did not have any visible injuries. A postmortem was done on Friday, but questions remain as to why police locked him up despite his injuries.
Manyara's mother, Sophia Kwamboka, went to the station to see her son but was sent away by police officers. On Friday morning, she went to search for Manyara at Molo hospital and found his body in the morgue. A morgue attendant said the body was booked in by the police at around 8:30 am on Friday.
On July 21, 2019, Kwamboka reported the incident to Molo police station, but officers did not tell her what transpired.
