Civil society group raises alarm over increased deaths in Police custody
By K24 Digital Reporter, November 6, 2025A civil society group has raised concern over the growing number of deaths in police custody since last year, terming them a worrying trend.
The Independent Medical Legal Unit (IMLU), led by Executive Director Wangechi Grace, issued a report on Thursday, November 6, 2025, in Nairobi, where she revealed that the civil society had documented a total of 17 cases of custodial deaths in at least 10 counties since 2024.
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In the year 2025, the civil society group said it also recorded 59 deaths through forensic documentation after conducting 80 autopsies.
“These deaths were reported in police stations, remand facilities, and prisons across at least 10 counties, including Nairobi, Nakuru, Muran’ga, Siaya, Mombasa, Kakamega, and Busia,” IMLU Executive Director Wangechi Grace said.
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On her part, the increased number of deaths in police custody has become alarming, as a number of detainees have lost their lives in police custody.
Custodial deaths are becoming a concern, where people in detention facilities of whatever type are actually losing their lives,” she added.
From the postmortem conducted on the bodies, IMLU noted that victims died out of injury and neglect after being subjected to physical assault, asphyxiation, hanging, and, in some cases, staged suicide.
Major death cause
On the other hand, the civil group revealed that other deaths were as a result of cardiorespiratory failure, cardiogenic shock, severe head injuries with brain contusions and subdural hematomas after repeated blunt force trauma, and lack of timely medical care.
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The human rights group has further blamed the government for failing to uphold its duty under Article 26 of the Constitution, the right to life, and Article 29, which protects every person from torture, cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment.
Year after year, families are left without answers, investigations stall, and justice remains elusive,” she stated.
Additionally, IMLU pointed out that despite the existence of the National Coroner Services Act, which mandates the establishment of an independent agency to investigate unclear or reportable deaths, its effective implementation has been delayed due to administrative gaps.
…it has left investigations under the jurisdiction of police and state pathologists, undermining impartiality and perpetuating impunity. IMLU, together with the Police Reforms Working Group and the Department of Justice, continues to advocate for urgent amendment and operationalisation of this act,” she added.
She went on, “A functioning justice system would ensure that every death in custody is independently investigated, that families receive timely information, and that perpetrators are held accountable.”