Protesters demand justice for woman who died in police custody

Angry residents of Likkii Estate poured into the streets to demand justice for Julia Wangui Kariuki, also known as Njoki, who died in hospital after allegedly being assaulted in police custody.

The 30-year-old mother of two was reportedly arrested during the Saba Saba Day protests and held at the Nanyuki Police Station before being transferred to the GK Prison remand cell.

The family claims that while in custody, she was beaten with a blunt object. She collapsed and was taken to Cottage Hospital in Nanyuki where she died. 

Preliminary medical reports, according to her relatives, indicate blunt-force head trauma, consistent with a violent assault.

The news of her death has sparked widespread anger, with residents accusing the police of brutality and cover-up. 

On Monday, there was heavy presence of police in Nanyuki from 8am as residents poured into the streets to protest against Njoki’s alleged murder.

The protesters blocked Simba Road, a key route near the Nanyuki Central Police Station and Nanyuki Law Courts, using rocks, logs and bonfires.

The air was thick with smoke as demonstrators, some waving placards and others draped in shawls, chanted slogans demanding accountability.

Banners bearing Njoki’s name flapped in the wind, while schoolchildren and elderly women looked on from doorsteps. 

The protest gained momentum as dozens of residents joined in. Among them was Njoki’s grandmother Susan Kirigo.

By 10am, a heavy deployment of anti-riot police officers had descended on the area. The officers formed a human barricade on Simba Road, a few metres from the police station, their shields raised as the crowd edged closer. 

At around midday, some protestors hurled stones towards police officers, who lobbed tear gas canisters into the crowd, in response.

The scene turned into running battles as protesters scattered into side streets only to regroup later. 

“We will not go home until justice is served,” one protester shouted, tears in his eyes and a Kenyan flag wrapped around his shoulders. 

Shops shut

Earlier, elderly women, waved handkerchiefs in the air as they sang mourning songs. Children peered from balconies as clouds of tear gas rose above the rooftops. 

The protest’s proximity to the Nanyuki Central Police Station and the Law Courts increased pressure to authorities to contain the protests.

Security was heightened across public institutions while some shops in the town centre remained shut throughout the day. 

By 2pm, patrol trucks were seen driving through Likkii and surrounding areas, with armed officers standing guard on flatbeds, watching from behind helmets and shields.

“Why are they deploying all these officers against peaceful demonstrators? We are not armed. We are just demanding answers about what happened to Julia,” a demonstrator said.

Njoki’s family claims she was arrested in the wake of the Saba Saba Day protests and held at the Nanyuki Police Station before being transferred to the GK Prison remand cell.

While in custody, they claim she was beaten with a blunt object. She later collapsed and was taken to Cottage Hospital in Nanyuki, where she died. 

The mood in Nanyuki remains tense. Local leaders have been conspicuously silent, with no public statement issued by law enforcement or county officials.