Protests over Julia Njoki’s alleged torture, death in custody grind Nanyuki town to a halt
Julia Njoki’s family claims she was tortured after being detained at Nanyuki Police Station for failing to raise a Sh50,000 bond.
Protests broke out in Nanyuki town on Monday as residents took to the streets demanding justice for Julia Njoki, a 24-year-old woman who died after allegedly being tortured while in police custody.
Njoki’s family claims she was tortured after being detained at Nanyuki Police Station for failing to raise a Sh50,000 bond.
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Demonstrators blocked the main road into Nanyuki, lit fires and erected barricades, calling for the arrest of the police officer believed responsible for her assault.
Her death has stirred anger across Laikipia County, with locals insisting that justice must be served.
“We will not stop until those behind her death are arrested,” one protester said as the crowd chanted Njoki’s name.
Despite a heavy police presence from early morning, the demonstrations grew in size as the day progressed, remaining largely peaceful.
The protests follow Njoki’s death, which occurred days after she was arrested during the July 7 Saba Saba demonstrations. According to her family, Njoki was walking home that evening when she was arrested along with other protesters and taken to Nanyuki Police Station, where she spent the night.
She was arraigned at Nanyuki Law Courts the next day and charged with malicious damage. Unable to raise the required bond, Njoki was remanded at Nanyuki Women’s Prison. It was during her time in remand that her health reportedly deteriorated.
The Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) said Njoki was admitted to prison on July 8 at 5:20 pm along with four other women. By 7:00 pm, she complained of dizziness, headaches and stomach pains. She was then taken to Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital that night, where her condition worsened. KPS said she was later referred for a CT scan at Cottage Hospital before being admitted to the ICU.
Speaking to The Standard, Njoki’s father said his daughter underwent surgery but succumbed to her injuries on July 12.
A preliminary medical report accessed by the family indicated that Njoki suffered blunt force trauma to the head, injuries consistent with a severe beating. Her grandmother, Susan Rienye, alleged that Njoki was brutally assaulted while in remand. The family now insists that she was not involved in the protests and was simply walking home when she was arrested.
Njoki’s father has continued to demand answers and accountability on what happened to his daughter.
“We want justice. We want the truth about what happened to our daughter,” he said.
A postmortem examination is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, to determine the exact cause of death.
In the meantime, the National Police Service (NPS) has denied claims circulating online that Njoki died in police custody. NPS spokesperson Michael Muchiri maintained that Njoki died in the hospital after falling ill while in remand.
“Misleading reports are circulating online alleging that Julia Njoki collapsed and died in a police cell after suffering multiple head injuries from an alleged assault by officers. We wish to clarify that this is false,” Muchiri said.
He added that Njoki was remanded after taking a plea in court and later fell ill while at Nanyuki Women’s Prison.
Njoki’s death has reignited concerns about police brutality, especially following the recent death of teacher Albert Ojwang’, who died from injuries sustained in police custody in Nairobi.
In Nanyuki, the community’s anger has been further fueled by two other incidents. A 17-year-old student, Thomas Gachara, was shot dead outside school, and two other youths, Felix Karani and Felix Thuranira, who are nursing gunshot wounds at Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Human rights organisations, including the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), have condemned Njoki’s death, calling for an independent investigation. According to KNCHR, 31 people have now died from incidents linked to the Saba Saba protests.
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