Another Kenyan dies in the hands of police, yet again

Even before the nation has come to terms with the death of Albert Ojwang’ at the hands of security officers, another name has been added to the growing list of civilians losing their lives in the hands of law enforcers.

Twenty-four-year-old Julia Wangui Kariuki, also known as Njoki, died under mysterious circumstances last Friday while in the custody of the Kenya Prisons Service hours after her admission to the Nanyuki Women’s Prison.

She had initially been booked at the Nanyuki Police Station upon arrest following last week’s Saba Saba protests, but later transferred to the prison facility after she failed to settle court bail.

Her death has once again reignited anger and fear over, what now appears to be sheer misconduct of State security agencies and apparent disregard for civilian life.

Njoki was arrested on July 7 in Nanyuki, charged with malicious damage to property, and booked at Nanyuki Police Station.

The following day, she was arraigned in court and granted a cash bail of Sh50,000 which she could not raise and was subsequently remanded at Nanyuki Women Prison.

According to the Kenya Prisons Service (KPS), Njoki was admitted to prison on July 8 at around 5:20pm with four other women. She was processed, served a meal, and assigned accommodation. Less than two hours later, at around 7:00pm, she began complaining of dizziness, headache and stomach pains.

“On probing, she disclosed that she had been beaten during the skirmishes of 7th July 2025,” reads a statement from Dr. Chrisantus Makokha, Head of Communications at the Kenya Prisons Service. The statement, however, does not disclose whether she had been beaten by officers or in the protests.

According to the chronology  shared by Kenya Prisons, Njoki was immediately treated and referred to Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, where she was admitted at 9:10pm the same night. By the following morning, her condition had deteriorated.

As her condition worsened, she was referred for a CT scan to Cottage Hospital, where the required imaging equipment was available, in the knowledge of her father a Mr Kariuki.

On Wednesday night, July 9, at 11:00 pm, Njoki was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Cottage Hospital.

The next morning, she underwent surgery, but despite medical intervention, she died in the early hours of July 12, surrounded by her family.

In the statement, the Kenya Prisons Service stated that Njoki received prompt and comprehensive medical care.

“Kenya Prisons Service did everything possible to save the life of Julia. There was no negligence on the part of the officers who worked very closely with the family to save her life,” said Dr. Makokha.

The statement, however, shifts focus back to the events of July 7, suggesting that injuries she may have sustained prior to her arrival at the prison are at the center of her medical crisis and subsequent death.

This clarification, points the spotlight back on the police, raising new questions about how Njoki was treated during her arrest and while held in police custody before arraignment.

“An inquest is inevitable because we are getting a lot including the involvement of a police officer who beat Julia at the police station, we need to know the raw truth,” stated a family source.

The police, on their part, have dismissed claims of wrongdoing. They argue that Njoki was healthy when she appeared in court and when she was handed over to the prison authorities.

“She was well when taking plea and was granted bail. From there she was handed over to the prison authorities. If she was unwell, she could have raised her hand in court and told the Magistrate,” said a senior police officer familiar with the case.

The back-and-forth has left Njoki’s family and human rights defenders frustrated and furious.

According to her grandmother, Njoki was seriously ill when she was being taken for treatment.

“She could not talk or even move her body; she was like dead. Njoki is gone just because somebody somewhere killed my granddaughter. For real, it is hard,” she said.

Those who were arrested alongside Njoki during the protests allege that she was assaulted while in the police cell.

“There are a lot of young people who were arrested alongside Njoki, and the information we are getting from them is that the girl was hit on the head with a rungu in the cell. It was the blunt object that they used to hit her, leading to her collapsing. We are also told she said she was not feeling well but the officers ignored her,” said a Nanyuki resident.

Nanyuki residents are preparing to stage a protest on Tuesday.

“Njoki was clobbered by a known cop. We want to demand that her killer is arrested, taken to court, and that Njoki gets justice,” said Wanjira Wanjiru, a human rights activist.

Wanjira likened Njoki’s death to that of Albert Ojwang, who also died in police custody, and Boniface Kariuki, who was fatally shot.

“We are pushing back on these retrogressive tendencies, on these unconstitutional manners, and on the normalization of police brutality and killings. We want to demand an end to these normalizations and that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 is implemented to the letter,” she said.

Tony Gachoka, a Kanu politician, said the death of Njoki is suggestive of a broader pattern of suppression and systemic failure.

“You are dealing with a trend where young people who are apprehended because they were exercising their freedom to protest are now dying in police cells as a matter of routine,” he said.

Gachoka called for immediate action by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate and arrest any officer involved.

“That person should not only be arrested but charged with murder. This lady died in Nanyuki, out of the limelight of Nairobi, and for KANU, we have heard it important to put the weight of the party behind the cause for justice,” Gachoka said.

Francis Masinde, a human rights defender, expressed concern over the continued deaths of young Kenyans in custody.

“Kenya is not going to be silent until the freedoms of Kenyans are actually kept at the forefront. Freedom to life, right to protest, right to associate. We cannot have our youth keep dying in such circumstances,” he said.

Kenyans took to X, expressed their outrage and grief.

“The government is turning human lives into mere hashtags, constantly feeding its thirst for blood,” wrote Bevalyn Kwamboka.

“Julia Njoki was tortured inside Nanyuki Police Station. These killer cops are known and are only transferred to go stir up trouble elsewhere. We demand justice,” posted Nyandia Gachago.

“Let us not normalize police killings. The killers of Njoki must be held to account,” posted Dr. Roselyn Akombe, a former IEBC Commissioner.

Meanwhile, in Nyeri, the family of 37-year-old Harrison Wachira Mwangi is struggling to come to terms with his death. Mwangi, a mechanic and father of one, was fatally shot by police in Juja during the Saba Saba protests as he closed his workshop.

Mwangi, was gunned down and in a video widely circulated online, he was dragged on the road by the police, an act that left his family shattered and demanding justice.

At their home, his eldest sister, Aisha Wangui, broke down as memories of raising Mwangi from childhood overwhelmed her. Having raised him since their parents died, she now mourns a life she nurtured from childhood; cut short by a police bullet.

Jane Wanjiru Wachira, the aunt, who also played a central role in his upbringing, was equally inconsolable. She recalls the last time she saw her nephew alive. She had taken him in after he completed class eight, raising him like her own before he moved to Ndaragwa.