Two Naivasha prison officers arrested in connection to inmate’s brutal murder
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have arrested two prison officers in connection with the murder of an inmate last year at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison.
Simon Nduro, who was serving a life sentence for robbery with violence, was beaten up by some of the warders when he was found sitting down instead of queuing for food.
INMATE’S DEATH
The DCI said that following completion of an inquest into the death of the inmate, detectives have arrested two prison officers identified as Sergeant Dennis Wandati Masibo and Constable Obadiah Meriti Lansika alias Masai who both work at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison.
“They will be charged with the murder of the convict contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the penal code,” DCI said.
Last year, a human-rights body asked the police to expedite investigations into the death of the deceased.
The Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU) and Simon Gitahi’s father David Nduro urged the National Police Service and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to find out how the man died in an isolation cell.
The lobby group said the man was allegedly pulled from the queue by warders, who then beat him before locking him up in an isolation cell, where he died.
According to an autopsy report, the prisoner had multiple bruises on his body with blunt force trauma being the cause of death, according to Government Pathologist Titus Ngulungu.
TORTURED
In his report, Dr Ngulungu noted that the inmate had bruises on the lower back, hips, hands and neck inflicted by a blunt object.
The autopsy report differed with a report from the prison department which claimed the inmate succumbed to an asthma attack.
A report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights had confirmed that the inmate, who died on June 15, 2019, was tortured to death.
The Independent Policing oversight Authority (IPOA) later said that it will take legal action against two prison warders accused of torturing to death an inmate.
The authority said they had embarked on investigations on how the inmate died.
Fellow inmates and an insider earlier told Daily Nation at the time that Gitahi was tortured, hauled into a cell where he later died.
But Deputy Commissioner of Prisons and Director of Operations Duncan Ogore said the inmate was sick and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Naivasha hospital.