Investigations are underway in Kirinyaga County following the death of 48-year-old Catherine Mwende Njeru, who allegedly fell from a moving police vehicle and later died from her injuries.
The case is being investigated by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Mwea East Sub-County together with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
Kirinyaga County Police Commander Anderson Njagi said officers mentioned in the incident have already recorded statements as investigators work to establish what happened.
“We are taking the matter seriously, all those who have been mentioned have recorded statements,” Njagi said.
Njagi asked residents to give the two institutions time to complete their investigations, promising that updates would be provided as the probe progresses.
Investigators have questioned officers from Itangi Police Station as well as some traffic officers attached to Wang’uru Police Station. It has not yet been established which of the two stations the vehicle involved belonged to.
Mwende, a mother of three, died after the incident at Mugamba Ciura along the Piai-South Ngariama road in Mwea East Sub-County.
The matter was reported at Wang’uru Police Station, while her body was taken to the Embu Level Five Hospital mortuary.
A postmortem conducted at the hospital by pathologist Peter Ndegwa and Dr Rosemary Wangare Kamao found that Mwende was not pregnant, contrary to earlier claims.
The examination established that she had fibroids and suffered multiple injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
Ndegwa said Mwende had sustained a severe skull fracture, bleeding around the brain, a dislocated spinal column at the neck, fractured ribs and bruising to the lungs.
The pathologist said the injuries could be consistent with a fall from a moving vehicle but noted that the circumstances still needed to be established through investigations.
Human rights activists Hussein Khalid of VOCAL Africa and Jane Mwaka of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), who witnessed the postmortem, called for a speedy investigation.
Khalid said the findings were consistent with the account given by Mwende’s family and accused the police of using excessive force. He called for officers found culpable to be held accountable.
Khalid also alleged that some officers in the area demand money from residents seeking transport in police vehicles.
Mwende’s husband, Anthony Muturi Waweru, who was also injured, said the couple were travelling to Rupingazi at around 3am to attend to their miraa business when police officers allegedly asked them to board the vehicle.
He claimed the officers later demanded Sh1,000 before Mwende was allegedly thrown from the moving vehicle.
Waweru said he managed to get out of the vehicle and later learnt that his wife had died about 500 metres from where he landed.
Mwende’s three children have also called for justice, saying they want those responsible for their mother’s death to be held accountable.
