When 27-year-old Eunice Atieno Omondi sought refuge at the Nyamonye Police Patrol Base in Siaya County on July 6 to escape the wrath of her irate husband Bonface Ongili, she had no idea it would be the last time she would see him alive.
Following a domestic altercation, her husband reportedly charged at her in anger while wielding a machete.
Ms Omondi fled to the police station, prompting Mr Ongili a fisherman in Lake Victoria, to abandon his pursuit that evening and return home.
After filing the report, Ms Omondi and police officers proceeded to her home and found the house locked and their children at a neighbour’s. Knowing that Mr Ongili frequented local illicit alcohol dens, she led the police to a nearby establishment where they found him and confiscated the weapon.
Upon returning to the Nyamonye Police Patrol Base, officers ordered the 35-year-old man to hand over the house keys to his wife before placing him in custody.
However, things took a grim turn the next morning when Ms Omondi returned to the base to check on her husband.
“When I arrived, the officers asked for my phone number and told me they would call me. I felt uneasy. At the very least, they could have allowed me to see him but they did not,” she said.
As she walked home, troubled by the strange encounter, she noticed two vehicles, a white car and a police vehicle, entering the station.
“I became anxious when I saw the vehicles. I feared something terrible had happened to my husband,” she explained.
Her fears were soon confirmed when the officer in charge informed her that her husband had died by suicide.
“The news hit me like thunder as I could not comprehend it. I had left him safe with the police. How could he die while under their watch?” she asked tearfully.
Police later confirmed the death through Bondo Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) Reuben Onchoka, who stated that he had received communication from the Nyamonye Police Patrol Base that the suspect had taken his own life inside the cell.
Mr Onchoka explained that Ongili had been detained overnight after his arrest but was found lifeless the following morning.
“Investigations are underway to determine the circumstances surrounding his death,” he assured.
The body was transferred to Bondo Sub-County Hospital mortuary for preservation pending a post-mortem examination.
Mr Ongili’s death adds to growing concerns about fatalities in police custody, a matter that has drawn public attention following the recent death of teacher Albert Ojwang’.
