Human rights defenders dismiss police explanation over Simon Warui’s death
By Kiprono Keileb, September 21, 2025The death of Simon Warui in Mombasa County has triggered outrage, with human rights group VOCAL Africa describing it as a cruel cover-up and demanding accountability from authorities.
Warui, who disappeared from Umoja, Nairobi, was found dead four days later in police custody. Questions remain over who arrested him from his Embakasi home, how he was transferred to Mombasa, and what offence led to his detention.
“The deceased was reported missing on September 14, 2025, from his Nairobi Umoja estate. It is another case of police killing, where police are involved,” Vocal Africa activist Walid Sketty said. His sudden death has deepened public anger and sparked calls for justice.
In a statement posted by VOCALAfrica on its official X account on Sunday, September 21, 2025, VOCAL Africa dismissed the police account that Warui “fell from a wall in the cells,” insisting that the explanation was implausible and amounted to an insult to both truth and dignity.
“Simon Warui disappeared from Umoja. Four days later, his body surfaced inside Central Police Station, Mombasa, with police claiming he ‘fell from a wall in the cells.’ Such an explanation is not only implausible but a cruel insult to the dignity of his life and to the truth,” the organisation said.
The group strongly linked his death to state violence, warning that impunity within security agencies could no longer be tolerated.
“Simon’s death bears the clear marks of state violence and impunity, dressed up in a hollow narrative. Lives cannot continue to be lost under the custody of those sworn to protect them,” VOCAL Africa declared.
Warui’s case now adds to a series of incidents that have put Kenya’s police service under scrutiny over deaths in custody. For years, families and human rights groups have decried unexplained killings and disappearances, raising alarm about gaps in accountability within the justice system.
VOCAL Africa has insisted that nothing short of justice will suffice, urging authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible. “Justice for Simon is non-negotiable, and those responsible must be held to account,” the statement concluded.
Warui’s family, meanwhile, continues to demand answers about how he was picked from Nairobi and ended up dead in Mombasa. His death has cast a harsh spotlight on custodial safety in Kenya, amplifying concerns that individuals continue to lose their lives under the watch of officers mandated to protect them.