Simon Warui’s family demands answers over his death in police custody

The family of Simon Warui, who was found dead last week at the Mombasa Central Police Station, says they are dissatisfied with the progress of investigations so far and have many questions about how their relative died.

Warui’s wife, Mary Njeri, is questioning how her husband ended up in Mombasa and about the injuries he had on his neck and head.

Before he died in custody, Warui had been reported missing in Nairobi’s Umoja I Estate, with his disappearance reported at Kamukunji Police Station.

Three days later, the family says they received a phone call from a church security guard along Nkrumah Road notifying them that Warui had been booked at Mombasa Central Police Station.

Addressing a press conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, the family says that upon arrival at the Mvita-based police station last Wednesday, they were not given clear details about Simon’s whereabouts or given a chance to see him.

They told reporters that they were referred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who interrogated them and directed them to the hospital.

Warui’s brother, Anthony Kariuki, says the family wants to know who took him to the police station and what happened to his phone, which he says the family has not found to date.

“Who took him to the hospital and later to the morgue without informing any family member of what was happening?” asked Kariuki.

Khalid Hussein of the rights organisation Vocal Africa said they are not satisfied with the explanations given by security agencies and demanded justice for the family.

“We don’t understand why, a week later, no action has been taken. The Mombasa Central Police Station OCS should have been suspended by now, alongside all officers on duty during that fateful night, to pave the way for investigations,” he said.

“In the past, we have not been satisfied with IPOA’s work. We do not want to brush them aside, but they need to pull up their socks because Kenyans are losing faith in them,” Hussein added, referencing the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which on Monday said it is investigating Warui’s death.

A post-mortem conducted at the Coast General Hospital revealed that Warui died due to a lack of oxygen, with visible injuries on his neck and hands, as well as blackened fingers.