The death of a Meru man whose body was discovered at Nyambene Level 4 Hospital on Tuesday has sparked sharp disagreement between police and his family over what led to his demise.
According to the family, the man, identified as Silvester Peter Mwenda, was taken from his home on Friday night by individuals who identified themselves as detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) based at Maua Police Station.
Mwenda’s wife, Gloria Gatwiri, said the men arrived at their home, claimed they were DCI officers, and left with her husband and his vehicle. She alleged that Mwenda was assaulted as he was being taken away.
Gatwiri further claimed that the officers also arrested a National Police Reserve (NPR) officer who was Mwenda’s friend and seized three goats from the homestead during the operation.
She told reporters that the family traced Mwenda the following day and briefly found him in the custody of detectives. However, when the family went to court on Monday to follow up on the case, Mwenda was nowhere to be found.
The NPR officer who had been arrested alongside him was present.
After searching several police stations without success, the family later discovered Mwenda’s body at the Nyambene Level 4 Hospital mortuary.
“We looked for him everywhere, but we could not find him. When we went to the mortuary, that is when we discovered he had died,” Gatwiri said.
The family now believes Mwenda died while in police custody, an allegation strongly denied by the National Police Service.
Meru County Criminal Investigations Officer Abednego Kavoo dismissed claims of police involvement, stating that Mwenda was a robbery suspect who had been assisting officers in an operation to arrest another suspect found in possession of G3 and AK-47 rifles.
According to Kavoo, Mwenda sustained fatal injuries after members of the public attacked him during a chaotic encounter between police and an angry mob.
“There was confusion during the operation, and members of the public turned violent. Unfortunately, the suspect was injured during the mob justice incident,” Kavoo explained.
He added that officers arrived after the assault had already occurred and were unable to prevent the injuries that later led to Mwenda’s death.
The conflicting accounts have raised fresh questions about the circumstances surrounding Mwenda’s arrest and death, with the family calling for further investigations to establish the truth.