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Nyaboga Kiage @NyabogaKiage 

As the lifeless body of Pius Migiro, 26, lies at the City Mortuary in Nairobi, his family members are demanding answers after it emerged that he died within Githurai Kimbo police cells in Kiambu County. 

Police maintain that Migiro committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt inside a toilet as officers were planning to lock him up before handing him over to their colleagues in Meru where he has an active defilement case. 

However, Migiro’s family disputed police version and vowed not to bury him until the cause of his death is established.

David Ondabu, who spoke on behalf of the family, said he had been informed of the arrest but wondered why police were reopening the case a year later without involvement of the minor’s family. 

Cash bail

“I was shocked when I was informed that Migiro had been arrested over the matter yet it is something that we solved long time ago,” he said. 

According to Ondabu, the deceased had injuries in the mouth and head. 

It all started in mid 2020 when Migiro was arrested by detectives attached to Meru Police Station for allegedly impregnating a Class Eight pupil. 

He was, however, released on cash bail and before the matter could proceed to court, the two families settled the case with Migiro promising to take care of the child. 

Yesterday, Migiro’s family wondered why the police decided to make the arrest and on whose orders they were acting.

“Who is this that issued an order that Migiro be arrested because both families even gave a notification that the matter had been solved?” he posed. 

Investigation by People Daily, however, revealed that despite the matter being solved out of court, a section of detectives attached to DCI Meru office had been pressuring their colleagues in Githurai to arrest Migiro. 

Police sources yesterday said that detectives from Meru had on Tuesday evening asked their counterparts at Githurai to summon the deceased’s cousin.

“When he arrived at the station, he was accompanied by Migiro and that is when the police made the arrest,” the source said. 

The officer further revealed that once he had been arrested and informed that he was to be handed over to Meru, Migiro excused himself and left for the toilet never to return. 

His cousin had by this time left and informed the family about Migiro’s arrest in connection to the defilement incident. 

Once officers realised that he had taken long in the toilet, they tried to call him and when he failed to respond, they broke the door only to find him hanging. It is then that they moved the body to the morgue. 

Contacted, Meru Police Station DCIO Kithinji Kinoti said he could not comment on the matter and instead directed this reporter to Phineas Ringera, the Ruiru police boss. 

“I cannot comment on the matter. The right person to give you any information about it is the OCPD Ruiru,” he said.  Ringera could not, however, be reached on phone.