Shock and grief have gripped a family in Migori County after Allan Kamau, 41, died while in police custody under mysterious circumstances.
Kamau had been held at Komwamu Police Post in Kuria West following a dispute with his aunt over trees valued at Sh30,000, and his sudden death has left relatives demanding urgent answers from the authorities.
“It was around 5:00 pm when the corporal in charge of Komwamu Police Post called me and asked me to speak to my son. When Allan came on the line, his voice was filled with anguish. He begged me to rescue him,” said his mother, Mary Wambui Kimani, 60 on Wednesday.
She added that later, the officer demanded money. “He called again, saying, 'You need to bring Sh15,000 immediately. If you fail to do so, tomorrow you will weep and won’t know how to explain this to your relatives,'” she recalled.
Wambui said she was later picked up by a police vehicle from her small shop in Nairobi Ndogo, Isebania, and taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office, where she was informed her son had died by suicide in his cell.
“What I don’t understand is how my son could have died by suicide just one hour after calling me and pleading for help. Why would someone cry out to be saved only to end his life moments later? How and why did this happen in a police cell?” she asked.
She said she was not allowed to see the scene or her son’s body before it was removed.
“The officers quickly loaded his body into their vehicle without a word. I wasn’t even allowed to see where it happened. I was left with so many unanswered questions and a mother’s heart in pieces,” she added.
Wambui insists her son did not commit suicide.
“This is not right. I want justice for my son. He was in police custody, a place where he was supposed to be safe. But instead, the very officers meant to protect him have taken his life,” she said.
The family said Kamau had pleaded for forgiveness from his aunt, even kneeling, but she insisted on financial compensation. He was expected to be transferred to Isebania Police Station for arraignment at Kehancha Magistrate’s Court on September 25.
Instead, he remained at Komwamu Police Post, where he died on the same day his mother received the final call.
His uncle, Godfrey Kamau, called on authorities and rights groups to take action. “This cannot be tolerated. It mirrors the case of the late Albert Ojwang, who also died at the hands of police. We want justice. I urge human rights defenders from Mombasa to Nairobi to step forward and fight for accountability,” he said.
Kamau’s body was later moved to Migori County Referral Hospital Mortuary, pending post-mortem.
Mukuru Community Justice Centre condemned the incident, warning that Kamau’s death exposes weaknesses in Kenya’s security system. “No one is safe in the hands of police, especially when they are in custody. Allan Kamau's killing inside a police cell in Migori sets a precedent that our security system is still not committed to protecting Kenyans. We need to rethink our policing and safety of Kenyans,” the group said.
Kongamano La Mapinduzi said Kamau’s death reflects a troubling pattern of similar cases. “It all started with Albert Ojwang, then Julia Njoki, then Simon Warui, now Allan Kamau and many others. Their killers are walking freely as we stopped calling for justice. Don’t ever think this can’t be you,” the lobby added.