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Kisumu: Man who was arrested with AK-47 found dead in police custody
31st October, 2025 08:23 PM
A person of interest who was arrested by the police in Kisumu for having an AK-47 rifle has died by suicide inside the Kisumu Central Police Station cells.
The deceased, identified as Kelvin Oduor, 21, was found hanging in one of the bathrooms within the station on Friday morning, October 31, 2025.
According to a police report seen by K24 Digital, officers on duty discovered the incident at around 6 a.m. as they were preparing to hand over to the incoming shift.
Police Constable (W) Chepkemoi Annaline and Police Constable Ismael Baraka, who were in charge of the report office and cell sentry, noticed that Oduor was missing from the group of inmates.
Upon checking, they found his body hanging in the bathroom. Oduor had been arrested on Monday, October 27, 2025, following a dramatic shootout along St. Otieno Oyoo Street near Patel Sarmaj temple.
According to the Kisumu Central Deputy Sub-county police commander, Bakari Juma, said that the recovered firearm AK-47 rifle with serial number 94883, which was loaded with 5 rounds of 7.2 mm special ammunition and one spent cartridge, was believed to have been used in several robbery incidents within Kisumu.
The deceased was being held for robbery with violence and had been placed in custody for 14 days under miscellaneous file number 255/25 to allow further investigations.
Swift probe
Police say efforts are underway to trace Oduor’s relatives as investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death continue.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has also launched investigations into the matter.
According to IPOA Nyanza Regional Coordinator Paul Murkomen, the authority received a notification from the police early in the morning about the incident and immediately dispatched a team to the scene to begin investigations.
Murkomen said preliminary findings indicate that the deceased, who had earlier been arrested in connection with a robbery with violence case, had been remanded at the station pending further court proceedings.
“So far, the preliminary report we have shows that the deceased is yet to be identified since he did not have any identification documents at the time of arrest. Police are trying to trace his relatives if they are within Kisumu to relay the information to them,” he said.
He added that IPOA investigators have already begun recording statements and documenting the scene to help establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
“My team has commenced investigations, taken several statements, and processed the scene accordingly to enable us to proceed with the next course of action,” Murkomen stated.
