Shock as Police Officers Assault Man in Custody, Smash His Head Against Wall After He Refuses to Pay Bribe

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has revealed that two police officers demanded a bribe of Sh2,000 from a woman to secure the release of her son shortly before he died while in police custody in Kakamega County.

The information emerged during court proceedings in the murder case involving Dennis Lusava Malongo, who died after being arrested and detained at Mbururu Police Post in Likuyani Sub County.

The first prosecution witness, his mother Agnes Shikonjela Ambale, told the court that she learned about her son’s arrest from a friend and immediately went to the police post at around 1 p.m.

She testified that she found her son handcuffed to a window and badly injured. According to her, he had been severely beaten, could not stand, and was unable to eat due to swollen hands.

She further stated that the officers later instructed her to bring clothes for her son and demanded Sh2,000 to secure his release. However, she was unable to raise the money.

When she returned later, she was denied access to the station and told that her son had already been released. She then searched for him for several days before his body was discovered at Webuye Mortuary.

Investigations later established that Lusava had been arrested following a confrontation with police officers during the COVID-19 period over failure to wear a face mask. 

He was later re-arrested and detained at the police post, where he was allegedly assaulted while in custody.

Evidence presented in court showed that the officers switched off their mobile phones at the same time on the night Lusava disappeared and used false information to borrow a vehicle, which investigators said was used to transport his body.

His body was later recovered from River Nzoia with signs indicating he had been tied before being dumped.

A post-mortem report concluded that he died from circulatory collapse caused by extensive soft tissue injuries resulting from severe assault.

After a lengthy trial involving more than twenty witnesses, the court found former police officers Emmanuel Wafula Viambaka and Godwine Sirengo Wekesa guilty of murder.

Justice Reuben Nyakundi ruled that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the two officers to 35 years in prison.

The case has been described as a significant step in addressing deaths in police custody and holding rogue officers accountable.