Kenya: Bungoma - Stock Theft Suspect Dies in Police Custody At Chwele Police Station

What the report says

Police in Bungoma, western Kenya, have opened investigations into the death of a 41-year-old man who collapsed while in custody at Chwele Police Station. The man, identified as Chrispinus Wanyonyi, had been detained over an alleged stock theft case before he died on Monday morning, according to the report distributed by Capital FM and carried by AllAfrica.

The article says Wanyonyi and another suspect were initially apprehended by members of the public after they were reportedly found in a cattle shed in Kuywa Village. They were first taken to Kuywa Police Post and later transferred to Chwele Police Station in the early hours of October 5. Police reported that both men appeared intoxicated when handed over.

Authorities said Wanyonyi collapsed at around 10:45 a.m. while arrangements were being made to take him to hospital. Officers later found his body in a corridor near the cells. The immediate cause of death was not established, and the body was moved to Bungoma County Referral Hospital mortuary for a postmortem.

The case has been classified as a Police Under Investigation matter, with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Bungoma Central handling it. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority’s Western Region office has also been notified. In general, deaths in police custody often prompt scrutiny over detainee welfare, medical response and arrest procedures, though those broader issues were not determined in this case.