Man dies in police custody hours after he was arrested for assaulting his wife

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 - A Kenyan man, Raymond Nachibati Wawire was found d3ad at Bundonga Police Post on Saturday, August 9, 2025 hours after being arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife. 

It was reported that Nachibati allegedly beat his wife, Celestine Barasa, for questioning him over his decision to marry a second wife.

The confrontation led to the arrest of Nachibati, Celestine and her brother, but the woman and the brother were later released.

The two, together with the woman’s brother, were involved in a confrontation that turned into a fight, leading to their arrest, but the woman and her brother were later released. 

Esther Khayemba, the deceased's mother, disclosed that they were later informed that Nachibati had been found hanging on the rafters of the cell with a tracksuit string tied around his neck. 

"The last day I saw my son was on Monday last week, after he quarrelled with his wife. I had not set eyes on him until Saturday, when I saw his body hanging lifelessly from a rope inside the police cell,” Khayemba said. 

However, the family is doubting the police version that the deceased committed took his own, alleging that there is a case of cover-up. She wondered how the police allowed the suspect to enter the cell with a rope and a shoe, something she said is not common 

The grieving mother said the family suspects Nachibati was beaten and placed on a rope to fake the incident. 

“When one is arrested, no one is allowed to get into the cell with anything. We are wondering how he managed to get into the cell with a rope and a shoe. We suspect that our son was beaten to death by police and placed on the rope, or he was beaten and left to die," the grieving mother said.

Boniface Nachibati, the deceased’s father, called on the Independent Police Oversight Authority to investigate the matter and establish the circumstances under which his son d!ed.  

“Police know very well what happened, because where did my son get a rope to hang himself in a room that has nothing? Police should tell us how the suspect was allowed to enter with shoes inside the cell. We suspect foul play, and we want to know why my son’s wife and her brother were arrested and later released when they had been arrested alongside the deceased," Boniface said. 

The body was moved to the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary pending autopsy.