Put an end to deaths of suspects in police custody

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

A 19-year-old boy was reported to have died a day after his release from Muthaiga Police Station last week. Eric Otieno, a boda boda rider who was arrested by the Police on Saturday, died the following day as he was being rushed to the hospital, according to his family.

Mystery surrounds what happened, or did not happen, at the police station. Given the rise in the number of Kenyans losing their lives in police stations, one is bound to suspect that something must have taken place at Muthaiga Police Station that led to Eric’s demise. Even if other factors were at play, the denial by the police and refusal to hand over crucial items such as CCTV footage to help with investigations into Eric’s death raises eyebrows.

Eric is among many other Kenyans who have lost their lives at the hands of the police, whether in the streets or in the cells. What is troubling is the way in which the police, prosecution and indeed the rest of the government shrug their shoulders and move on when such deaths occur.

Police cells should be safe places for anyone in and around them, including the officers themselves. Sadly, they have now been turned into killing fields. Installing CCTVs at police stations has not helped minimise the number of suspects dying in custody. In fact, allegations of interference with footage captured at police stations contribute to the corrupt way in which the police continue to handle suspects and operate with impunity.

Violent individuals

The police deal with members of the public who exhibit a wide range of behaviours. These could range from violent individuals, in many cases, to unarmed and compliant people. Why do the police feel the need to assault and batter suspects who are in their custody? Where do they get such powers from? Their primary goal is to maintain law and order. Hence, the use of force in police stations, in many cases, has led to injury and deaths of suspects and is against the law. The continued use of torture by the police against suspects while interviewing them, even in cases where suspects pose no risk at all, goes not just against domestic laws but also international law.

The procuring of confessions through torture is wrong. This impunity by the police must stop. I am speaking from experience. My brother was once beaten up at a police station and both his legs were broken. And instead of calling his family members, the police dumped him at a hospital. He did not receive treatment because he was not in the right mental capacity at the time and was unable to speak. His family members did not know where he was until a Good Samaritan contacted them. The officers at the police station where the assault occurred denied any involvement. This is common in cases of brutality.

Human rights violations are not part and parcel of police operations. In fact, it is the police’s job to prevent human rights violations. That is the law. However, the Kenyan police continue to be given carte blanche to violate human rights. This includes shooting protesters dead, as was witnessed during the deaths of Gen Zs in 2024, and the now rampant deaths of suspects in police stations, for which there are no consequences!

Killing citizens

Since the police are paid by taxpayers, they are biting the hand that feeds them. Defunding the police is very tempting, but it will only lead to further violations should policing end up being privatised. Incidentally, private security guards who have broken the law by unlawfully killing citizens while on duty have been brought to justice in a way that the police never are. It seems that there is a gentleman’s agreement among police officers to turn a blind eye to unlawful killings happening right under their noses and in the cells they manage. As the number of killings in police custody rises, little is being done by the government, the prosecution or the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to curb brutality.

How much longer will Kenyans continue to lose their lives at the hands of the very people who are supposed to protect them? The Kenyan police need to show more humanity. But that will not happen while they continue to brutalise citizens in the name of keeping law and order. Eric Otieno was only 19 when he died. He was a young motorbike rider trying to make a living in the tough economic times that most Kenyans are facing.

Questions linger over what crime, if any, he may have committed to pay with his life.

Perhaps it is time for police training to be reviewed in order to instill a sense of humanity into the service. Above all, police officers need to be trained to handle vulnerable suspects.

Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.