Family wants police to probe death of kin in custody

The family of a 29-year-old fisherman who died in police custody in Homa Bay County wants further investigations into the matter.

This is after postmortem showed that Calvins Onditi died of asphyxiation.  

Homa Bay County Medical Services Chief Officer Kevin Osuri, said Onditi suffered strangulation.

“The postmortem has revealed that he died of asphyxiation. It is the work of investigative officers to establish what strangulated him,” Dr Osuri said.

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The man died in custody at Kipasi Police Post in Mbita Sub-county on June 15.

The deceased’s family members said they were not convinced of the cause of their son’s death.

His mother Millicent Akoth said Onditi was not wearing trousers when he was arrested from home. He was in a pair of shorts.

“I don’t understand how my son ended up having a pair of trousers in the cell yet he left home in a pair of shorts. Where did the trousers come from? I want police to investigate and explain to us the source of the pair of trousers and how it ended up on his neck,” Akoth said.

Lawyer Albert Ongoso who is representing Onditi’s family said he was drunk when he was arrested and could not have climbed the roof of the cell to hang himself.

He complained that the body was taken to the mortuary in the absence of the family

“I don’t think Onditi was in a position to climb the roof and tie his pair of trousers,” Ongoso said.

Achieng Achieng, a family member, appealed to the government to cater for Onditi’s burial expenses.

“He died when he was in the custody of police officers. The government should help us meet his burial expenses,” Achieng said.