NPS promises ‘credible’ probe into Julia Njoki's death after alleged torture in custody

The National Police Service (NPS) says no formal misconduct complaint has been recorded yet in the death of a woman arrested during last week’s Saba Saba protests in Nanyuki and allegedly tortured by officers while in custody. 

Twenty-four-year-old Juliet Wangai Kariuki, alias Julia Njoki, was arrested while heading home on the evening of June 7 alongside protesters and taken to Nanyuki Police Station, where she spent the night.

The following day, she was arraigned in Nanyuki Law Courts and charged with malicious damage to property.

She denied the charges and was remanded at the Nanyuki Women's Prison after failing to pay a Ksh.50,000 cash bail.

She was later taken to the hospital after developing complications, where she succumbed.

A preliminary medical report obtained by the family indicates that Njoki suffered blunt force trauma to the head, consistent with a severe beating. They allege police misconduct.

In a statement on Monday, NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said, Njoki was in good health when she was brought before the court on June 8.

“To date, no formal complaint has been recorded alleging any misconduct—whether by commission or omission,” Mr Nyaga said.

“Nevertheless, the relevant agencies will conduct swift, transparent, and credible investigations into the matter, and accountability will follow.”

After the July 8 arraignment, the Kenya Prisons Service has said Njoki was admitted to the Nanyuki Women's Prison at around 5:20 p.m. with four other women.

The prison service says she started complaining of dizziness, headache, and stomach pains at around 7:00 p.m. and was taken to the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Her condition worsened on the morning of July 9, and she was referred for a CT scan to Cottage Hospital, where she was admitted to the ICU at 11:00 p.m. and underwent surgery the next morning.

Njoki's father told The Standard newspaper in an interview published on Monday that they remain unconvinced about the circumstances surrounding their daughter's death.

A post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted next Tuesday to ascertain the cause of death.

The incident has sparked uproar; protesters on Monday lit fires and erected barricades on the main road into Nanyuki town, demanding the arrest of the officers responsible for Njoki’s death. 

It came just a month after the death of schoolteacher and blogger Albert Ojwang', who was tortured to death in custody at Nairobi’s Central Police Station and taken to the hospital already dead.

While police initially claimed Ojwang’ had hit his head on the wall of his cell, a post-mortem revealed Ojwang’ had severe head injuries and suffered neck compression and multiple soft tissue trauma, pointing to a possible assault by police officers.