The family of Denis Lusava who is alleged to have been assaulted to death inside a police cell at Mbururu police post in Likuyani Sub County is crying for justice after his body was retrieved from Nzoia river near Webuye Bridge.
The disappearance of Lusava from the hands of police prompted residents to storm the station and torched it on Thursday last week after the officers failed to produce him or tell about his whereabouts.
According to the deceased’s mother, Mrs. Agnes Ambale, she received information from Musemwa sub location assistant Chief Trizah Oyando that an unidentified male body had been retrieved from river Nzoia and taken to Webuye mortuary. She went to the mortuary where she identified the body to be that of her missing son.
“The underwear which I last saw him wearing at the police post after the officers tore all his clothes was still on the body, also the injuries which the officers had inflicted on him when I visited him in the cell were still visible and I could also see a scar on his right leg which he got after he was burnt by an iron box when he was still young,” explained Mrs. Ambale, amidst sobs.
She narrated how on October 7, 2020 her son was mercilessly beaten by an officer at the post in her presence leaving him unconscious.
“He couldn’t even eat the food I had brought him, he was really in pain and the officer continued beating him in my presence without caring. It really pained me,” said Mrs. Ambale.
Later she was sent to go and bring him another pair of clothes since he had only been left with his underpants. However on returning in the evening with the clothes she was barred at the entrance and rudely chased away by the officers.
She went back home and returned the following morning where she was informed that her son had been released the previous night and if he hadn’t reached home she should look for him elsewhere.
“They told me to go and look for him in brewing dens and if I think they have killed him I go look in mortuaries,” she said.
Unsatisfied by the answer she proceeded to Matunda police station where she reported the matter and the officer commanding the station (OCS) took it up quickly and visited the post to find the truth about her allegations.
However on reaching the police post they found hundreds of enraged youth engaging the officer after information had leaked that Lusava had been killed by the officers.
The angry youth overpowered the officers before torching the police post where also Matunda OCS was injured in the process.
Mrs. Ambale said the family had been searching for her son unsuccessfully before she received information about an unidentified body lying at the Webuye mortuary which she went and identified it to be that of her son.
Crying for justice Mrs Ambale said she had not been told the crime her son had committed to deserve such cruelty.
However, according to the Western regional commander Peris Kimani, Lusava had on Tuesday last week assaulted an officer stationed at the police post before he was arrested and later released on free bond as the assaulted officer continued working on filling p3 form and other formalities before the suspect could be charged.
A postmortem is scheduled to be carried out on Friday 16/10/2020 the Lugari DCI office and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority investigating the matter.