This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
On December 26, 2013, Sheinda Gatwiri, a 28-year-old woman, was booked at Ruaraka police cells for burglary and stealing. Her husband, a constable attached to Muthaiga police station, had arrested her for allegedly stealing his laptop and car logbook.
Two days later, on December 28, police report office personnel visited the cells for a routine check and found Gatwiri's body. An autopsy was conducted by government pathologist Peter Ndegwa on January 7, which revealed that Gatwiri had bruised neck ligature tissues and a cotton piece of cloth tied around her neck with a sharp knot.
The autopsy results concluded that Gatwiri died from 'neck compression due to hanging.' However, the family claims that Gatwiri was arrested for a minor offense and that her death was not a result of her own actions.
This incident is not the first time that someone has died at Ruaraka police station. In February 2019, former Ruaraka OCS Nahashon Mutua was sentenced to death for torturing a suspect, Martin Koome, to death inside a cell in 2013.
