Mystery surrounds the death of 25-year-old Francis Mukura, who was last seen alive in the custody of Murang'a police on February 17, 2026, at Kagundu-ini Market in Kandara constituency.
He was found dead just 11 hours later.
Eyewitnesses say Mukura was subdued by two police officers, handcuffed, and forcibly escorted towards a nearby police station.
His family was informed of his death around 7 am on February 18, when a village elder visited them to relay that Mukura had died and was at the Murang'a Level Five Hospital mortuary.
His family spokesman Moses Mwangi told Nation that the news was “shocking, unbelievable and outrightly suspicious.”
“We were devastated. Mukura left home at around 1 pm saying he wanted to check on friends and would return by 6 pm. Instead, he ended up at the mortuary dead. We are trying to piece together the events that led to this tragedy, even as authorities remain secretive about exactly what transpired,” Mr Mwangi said.
During a fact-finding mission at Kagundu-ini Market, Nation spoke with James Kuria, 53, who claimed he witnessed the arrest.
“I saw two police officers ambush Mukura and another young man in a corner of the market. One officer shouted something about bhang and peddling before handcuffing both of them. From my perspective, they were arrested on suspicion of being either bhang peddlers or users,” he said.
Francis Mukura, 25, died mysteriously in the hands of Murang'a police on February 18, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
“Scenes like this are normal. Police often swoop on people, and relatives usually follow up. Sometimes freedom is bought; other times, suspects are taken to court,” he explained.
Records at the police post show Mukura was booked as a suspect under reference OB No. 03/17/02/2026 at 2:15 pm, though no cause of arrest was listed.
Advocate Mr Timothy Kariuki, a High Court lawyer, said Kagundu-ini police post is not a gazetted station and therefore lacks legal authority to hold suspects.
“A gazetted police station is officially recognised and authorised to handle investigations, detentions and administrative duties. Smaller, non-autonomous posts like this one operate under the mother station and on this case, Kabati Police Station,” Mr Kariuki said.
He explained that the law requires that suspects arrested at non-gazetted posts be immediately transferred to the mother station.
In Mukura’s case, there is no record of his transfer from Kagundu-ini to Kabati Police Station.
Instead, an OB reference (08/17/02/26) later indicated that Mukura committed suicide in police custody.
At Murang'a Level Five Hospital mortuary, the Health Chief Officer Eliud Maina confirmed that Mukura was pronounced dead and booked at around 1 am on February 18.
“The officers who brought the body said it was a case of suicide in custody, but they did not specify where it occurred,” he said.
Mortuary staff recorded that a cotton string, reportedly used in the suicide, was present.
However, a physical examination of the body revealed troubling signs: tears or water streaks on both cheeks, a swollen and cracked lower lip, rubber marks on the limbs and a bump at the back of the head.
Murang'a County Commander Kemboi Kimaiyo said investigations are being carried out by both the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
“What I have as a preliminary report is that Mukura was arrested alongside another suspect and allegedly committed suicide while in custody,” he said. He added that the other suspect was arraigned in Kandara Court on February 18 and is currently in remand.
Sarah Kamande, a relative of Mukura, has spoken of her frustration surrounding the secrecy of the case.
“We were not called to witness Mukura while he was supposedly hanging. We were only told his body was at the mortuary. The DCI has been postponing the postmortem examination without plausible reasons. It has been over a week since his death and yet no postmortem has been sanctioned,” she said.
A postmortem report by Dr Kamotho Watenga on February 25, 2026, deepened the mystery when he said Mukura was first tortured before his life was finally squeezed out by compressing his neck with a rope.
"The shirt he wore had blood on the front...There is bloody discharge from the nose. The body also has bruises on the limbs, legs, hands and the head," Dr Watenga observed.
He said the most probable cause of death was the use of a rope that compressed his neck, resulting in a lack of oxygen in the brain.
Mukura's family immediately said they were interpreting the results to mean he was first tortured and then murdered.
Mr Kimaiyo said, "With the report out, investigations will be escalated to ensure all the facts in the incident are laid bare".
Mr Kimaiyo urged the community, which has staged protests at Kagundu-ini Market, to remain calm. He insisted that ongoing investigations would uncover the truth behind Mukura’s death.
