A man held in police custody at Turash Police Station in Nyandarua County has allegedly died by suicide, according to County Commissioner Jaldesa.
Preliminary reports indicate that the man took his own life using his shirt, which he allegedly tied to a padlock on the inside of his cell door.
A police report identified the deceased as 44-year-old Ruigi Ndubi, who had been arrested for allegedly obstructing police officers in the course of their duties. The report also noted that Ndubi appeared intoxicated at the time of his arrest.
“One suspect namely Simon Thumbi, aged about 44 years, had been arrested by police officers today under OB No. 6/23/6/2025 and placed in custody for the offence of obstructing police officers while performing their duty. He appeared to be drunk,” the report reads in part.
Nyandarua Man Allegedly Hangs Himself
According to the report, an officer discovered the suspect dead inside the cell during a routine check at 12:46 p.m.
However, the deceased’s family has questioned the official account, citing suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
According to relatives, Ndubi was found with his knees touching the ground—an unusual position for a hanging—raising doubts about the claim that he died by suicide.
“It doesn’t make sense. The place they are describing is barely a foot high. They claim he tied his shirt to a padlock and hanged himself, which is impossible,” said Simon Irungu, a relative, in an interview with Inooro TV.
“We don’t even know who arrested him. We’re hearing he was picked up while heading to a nearby shopping center.”
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The death of Ndubi under police custody follows the murder of 31-year-old blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who was arrested at his home in Homa Bay County on June 7, 2025, by six plainclothes DCI officers, following a complaint from Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat regarding a critical social media post.
Increased Cases on Deaths in Police Custody
Ojwang was transported over 350 km to Nairobi’s Central Police Station in a Subaru Forester without being booked locally.
He was reportedly in good health upon arrival but died in custody on June 8, with an autopsy revealing assault-related injuries, contradicting police claims of suicide.
Four days later, another incident was reported in Homa Bay County, where 36-year-old fisherman Calvin Omondi Onditi died in police custody under similarly suspicious circumstances.
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Omondi was arrested on Saturday, June 14, 2025, around midnight and taken to Kipasi Police Post in Mbita Constituency after allegedly being found trespassing at Got Pen in Ndhuru Village, following a tip-off from local residents.
Hours after his arrest, he was reported dead. Police claimed he died by suicide—allegedly hanging himself with his trousers.
However, Omondi’s family has disputed the official account, pointing to visible bruises on his neck that raised doubts about the suicide claim.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Chairperson, Isaac Carson, has since revealed that at least 20 more people have died in police custody since the death of Albert Ojwang at the Central Police Station.
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