A family from Nyamarimba village in Nyamira North, Nyamira County, is mourning the death of their patriarch, who died in a police holding cell under mysterious circumstances.
Jackson Makori Obare, 59, was allegedly assaulted by armed assailants on Sunday, December 24, after trespassing on neighbor Lux Orwaru Omondi's farm.
Omondi, a teacher, later told police that they caught Obare attempting to steal bananas from his farm before roughing him up, which his family has denied.
Following the incident, Obare and his associates were arrested and taken to Ekerenyo Police Station.
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The deceased was later transported to Ekerenyo Sub-District Hospital for treatment of serious injuries sustained during the encounter with the aforementioned armed assailants.
He was then returned to Ekerenyo Police Station, where he died in a holding cell, according to reports.
Obare's family is now seeking justice, claiming that they were kept in the dark when their loved one was taken to the hospital and were only informed of his death via a letter written by officers assigned to his case.
They also claim that when they arrived at Nyamira Referral Hospital to identify the deceased, they found him naked and without his identification documents. According to his family, he was similarly booked into the hospital under an alias.
This, they claim, has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Obare's death.
yamira North Deputy Commissioner Simon Musumba told Citizen Digital that preliminary investigations had revealed that Obare did not attempt to steal the bananas as he had been accused.
"Investigations have established that the deceased was not stealing when he was assaulted. The police report intimates that he died at Nyamira Referral Hospital. At this time no one has been arrested in connection to his death," said Musumba.
The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
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