“Mama, tafadhali niokoe” ('Mum, please rescue me') were the last words that Mary Wambui Kimani heard from her son, Allan Kamau, before she received news of his death less than an hour later.
The incident occurred on September 24, 2025, at Komwamu Police Post in Kuria West, Migori County. Ms Wambui, aged 60, was left devastated and searching for answers about how her son died in police custody.
Kamau, 41, had been arrested the previous day, on September 23 for allegedly cutting down trees belonging to his aunt.
“It was around 5 pm when the corporal in charge of Komwamu Police Post called me and asked me to speak to my son. When Allan came on the line, his voice was filled with anguish. He begged me to rescue him,” Ms Wambui recalls.
Barely an hour later at around 6 pm, the same number called again.
“The corporal asked me where I was. I told him I was at my small shop in Nairobi Ndogo, Isebania. Minutes later, a police vehicle arrived and took me to Isebania Police Station,” she says.
At the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office, she was informed that her son had allegedly taken his own life while in custody.
“What I don’t understand is how my son could have died by suicide just one hour after calling me and pleading for help. Why would someone cry out to be saved only to end his life moments later? How, and why, did this happen in a police cell?” Ms Wambui asked.
Her doubts deepened when she was denied access to the alleged suicide scene at Komwamu Police Post, and was not allowed to witness the removal of her son’s body.
“The officers quickly loaded his body into their vehicle without a word. I wasn’t even allowed to see where it happened. I was left with so many unanswered questions and a mother’s heart in pieces,” she says.
Mr Kamau’s death has angered residents who are now demanding a full, independent investigation into the circumstances.
“This is not right. I want justice for my son. He was in police custody, a place where he was supposed to be safe. But instead, the very officers meant to protect him have taken his life,” Ms Wambui insists.
She was informed that the complainant in the case was her son’s aunt, who accused him of destroying trees valued at Sh30,000.
“Despite begging her for forgiveness, she refused,” says Ms Wambui. “My son went down on his knees, pleading with her to show mercy, but I didn’t have the Sh30,000 she demanded. Later, the officer told me Kamau would be transferred to Isebania Police Station and arraigned at Kehancha Magistrate’s Court on September 25.”
However, on the scheduled arraignment date, Kamau failed to appear in court. Instead, he remained detained at Komwamu Police Post — on the same day that his mother received his final, desperate phone call.
His uncle, Godfrey Kamau, has called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and human rights groups to intervene.
“This cannot be tolerated. It mirrors the case of the late Albert Ojwang, who also died at the hands of police. We want justice. I urge human rights defenders from Mombasa to Nairobi to step forward and fight for accountability,” he said.
The body was moved to the Migori County Referral Hospital Mortuary, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.
