This archive report was first published on 8 September 2019.
On the eve of his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, a young student embarked on a night out with friends in Kisumu, a decision that would ultimately prove fatal.
According to Kisumu County Police Commander Benson Maweu, the student was caught attempting to steal a phone at a local club and was subsequently arrested and taken to Central Police Station.
However, the student's condition took a turn for the worse, and he collapsed at the police station. He was rushed to Kisumu sub-county hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
But the parents of the deceased student have a different account of events. They claim that they first became suspicious about their son's whereabouts after inquiring at Janam Club, where they were informed of his arrest.
The parents were shocked to learn of their son's alleged involvement in a crime, as he had never been known to engage in such behavior. They then visited the police station, where they were initially denied any knowledge of the incident.
It wasn't until the parents applied pressure that the police revealed their son had indeed arrived at the station, badly beaten, and had died on the way to the hospital.
The parents' visit to the mortuary only raised more questions, as their son's clothes were clean and well-washed, and he had no visible injuries.
Police Commander Maweu has stated that further investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the student's death.
