The death of Simon Warui inside Mombasa’s central police station has left his family with more questions than answers, as they accuse the police of covering up the real cause of his death.
The official postmortem report states that Warui died of cardiorespiratory collapse resulting from a broken and dislocated neck, with injuries described as consistent with a fall from a height.
However, his family strongly disputes this explanation, insisting that what happened in the police cells does not add up and that a cover-up is being orchestrated.
The pain for the family is compounded by the fact that they are already mourning another relative. On Wednesday, they gathered at Montezuma Funeral Home in Thika to collect the body of another family member who had also recently died.
The grief of two deaths hitting the same family within days has left them deeply shaken.
“Mazishi ya sa hii ni ya side ya bibi grandmother alifariki sasa unaona ni msiba mara mbili tunamzika leo Simon tumzike Friday,” said Paul Wachira, Warui’s cousin.
For them, the postmortem results have done little to bring closure. Instead, they have fueled doubts.
Mary Njeri, Warui’s widow, expressed her disbelief, stating, “Nataka tu kujua ni nini ilimhapenia wanasema alijiua lakini hakujiua mwenye anajua my husband ni mtu hana ubaya na mtu.”
The suggestion that he may have taken his own life has been dismissed by the family as illogical and inconsistent with who he was.
Human rights defenders have also joined in questioning the narrative given by the police. Activist Walid Sketty asked, “If it is indeed he committed suicide as they suggest, then he would have committed suicide in Nairobi or his home area, why Mombasa?”
His remarks underline suspicions that what has been reported officially is far from the truth.
The family is also troubled by the lack of clarity over why Warui was in Mombasa, what charges led to his detention, and what really transpired inside the police station.
His brother, Antony Kariuki, pointed out, “Tulienda hadi central police tukaona kuna hadi CCTV tunataka kujua in what state Simo aliingia kwa cell na kama alikuwa alive mbona atoke kwa cell akiwa hayuko.”
To the family, CCTV footage is a key piece of evidence that could expose the truth about what happened in custody.
The pain of his sudden loss has hit not only his wife but also his child. Mary Njeri spoke with anguish about how her child keeps calling for their father, adding, “Alikuwa happiness yetu, alikuwa happiness ya mtoi but chenye nitasema whoever did that to him awe na mali au power kuna mungu. Kilio yenye mtoto wangu ako nayo sa hii, simu ikipigwa ni daddy. Pain iko kwa innocent child.”
Human rights groups are demanding accountability from the authorities. Hussein Khalid, an activist, said, “We fail to understand why no action has been taken by now. The OCS should have been suspended alongside the officers who were at the station when Warui was booked in.”
Their position is that the officers responsible should step aside to allow for a transparent investigation, rather than remain in office where they could interfere with evidence.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has confirmed that it is investigating the case and has already obtained CCTV footage from the station, which they believe will be crucial in determining the truth.
But for Warui’s family, the delay in action by authorities and the contradictions in the reports point to a deliberate attempt to hide what really happened. To them, the fight is no longer just about grief but about justice and exposing the cover-up that has denied them the truth about their loved one’s final moments.
