Seven detained following death of university student in Homa Bay
Dalawa Hotel and Restaurant in Homa Bay town.
Police in Homa Bay are holding seven employees of a local hotel on suspicion of killing a university student.
The suspects are being questioned by officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) on claims of torturing Paul Sunday, 25.
Sunday was a fourth-year Criminology student at Tom Mboya University.
Some locals claimed the student had mental problems and it is believed the seven suspects attacked him after he smashed a television screen at the Dalawa Hotel and Restaurant.
According to Arujo Location Chief Bob Lango, the student shocked residents when he appeared stark naked on the streets of Homa Bay town on Saturday afternoon.
He said the student had caused a disturbance and damaged property.
Sunday is said to have gone to a supermarket in Sofia Estate, where he allegedly took a tin of margarine and left without paying.
He was also spotted at a local petrol station where he disrupted operations.
"His intentions at the petrol station were unclear. But he was sent away by attendants," Mr Lango said.
Sunday eventually made his way to the hotel, where he was allegedly beaten, leading to his death.
Mr Lango said the university student went on a rampage, smashing a television set in the hotel before being subdued and pinned to the floor by staff.
Bleeding profusely
In a report filed at Homa Bay Police Station, the student is said to have been tied with ropes on his legs and hands. His assailants then tethered him to a metal grill at the reception of the restaurant.
The police received the report from an enforcement officer working for the Homa Bay County government.
Officers who went to the scene established that the student was assaulted and was bleeding profusely.
Sunday was taken to hospital for a medical check-up, but died while being attended to by health workers.
Four men, including a security guard, and three women were arrested in connection with the incident.
A senior DCI officer said investigators were trying to trace the student's personal belongings, including his clothes.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Hassan Barua said those arrested will help police with investigations into the incident.
Mr Daniel Baraza, Sunday's brother, said he was surprised to learn that he was mentally ill.
"He was in the final stages of his university education and was the one the family looked up to," he said.
Mr Baraza warned that whoever was responsible for his brother's death should be prepared to face the full force of the law.
"He was not armed. They should have just detained him and let the police or other authorities arrest him," he said.
Minimal action
The family was informed of the incident through a phone call.
As they left their home in Busia, Mr Baraza said his brother had not died.
Tom Mboya students joined the family to demand justice for the deceased.
Mr Lawrence Onyango, a student leader at the university said the suspects should be charged.
“We demand justice for the family. The way our colleague died was brutal and the suspects should be jailed to serve as an example to others with similar intentions,” he said.
The students said that young people have been killed in other parts of the country, but minimal action is taken against suspects.
They called on police to close the hotel as a means of securing the space to ensure no one interfered with evidence. Sunday is said to have sat his end-of-semester exams last week.
Mr Danmack Orua, a student at Tom Mboya University, said youths in higher learning institutions should be protected from criminal activities.
