By C, KNA
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched investigations into the mysterious death of a robbery with violence suspect, who was found hanging inside a bathroom at Kisumu central police station on Friday morning.
According to IPOA Nyanza Regional Coordinator Paul Murkomen, the Authority received an early morning report from the regional police command indicating that a male suspect, who was facing robbery with violence and murder charges, had allegedly taken his own life while in custody.
“On Friday morning, we received notification from the police command in the region about an incident of suspected suicide at Kisumu Central Police Station. One suspect who was charged with robbery with violence and murder was remanded at the station, and on the morning of Friday, he was found in the bathroom hanging,” said Murkomen.
He said IPOA immediately dispatched a rapid response team to the station to conduct preliminary investigations and document the scene.
“The team processed the scene before moving the body to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital Morgue for post-mortem,” he said.
Murkomen added that the post-mortem examination would soon be conducted to help establish the actual cause of death and determine whether it was a case of suicide or foul play.
“The investigation is ongoing, and in due course we are going to do a post-mortem to assist us in concluding the case to confirm whether it was a case of suicide or there was malice. As of now, all statements have been taken from the police and we are looking forward to more, maybe from the relatives,” he said.
Speaking during a media engagement in Kisumu on Monday, Murkomen revealed that the deceased did not have any identification documents on him at the time of arrest, and efforts were underway to trace his family.
“Apparently, from the information we got, the deceased did not have any identification documents with him, neither are the relatives known, but we are working on it to search for the relatives of that deceased,” he said.
The incident adds to the list of ongoing investigations into deaths in lawful custody and alleged misconduct involving law enforcement officers across the country.
Murkomen said most of the cases pending before IPOA in the region were attributed to lack of cooperation from complainants.
“The issue of unwillingness by complainants to follow up on their cases has contributed to around 576 inactive cases that we currently have,” he said, noting that IPOA still maintains an active caseload in various courts across the region, including Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Nyamira, and Homa Bay.
“The success rate is not bad because we have cases currently active in court. On average, we receive between 50 and 60 new complaints every month,” he added.
He attributed the recent decline in complaints to the easing of political tensions in parts of the Nyanza region, which had previously seen an upsurge in reports of police misconduct during demonstrations.