A family in Kiambu County is demanding an independent investigation into the death of a young student who allegedly died by suicide while in police custody at Kiambu Police Station, under circumstances they describe as suspicious and inconsistent with the official account.

The deceased, identified by relatives as Brian Njunge Ndungu, was a student pursuing architecture studies at Kiambu National Polytechnic and had recently moved into an apartment in the Kiambu area.

According to his family, he had been arrested over allegations of theft involving household items belonging to a neighbour, including a MacBook laptop, a gas cylinder, a computer mouse and two umbrellas.

Speaking outside the police station, his sister Claire Njambi narrated the sequence of events leading up to the discovery of his body inside a police cell.

Njambi said the ordeal began early in the morning when her brother received a phone call from a man who introduced himself as an officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). She claimed the caller interrogated Brian about the alleged theft before the conversation ended abruptly following an argument.

Later, their mother allegedly received another call informing her that Brian had been apprehended and was being held at Kiambu Police Station.

The family said they immediately travelled to the station, arriving shortly before noon.

“When we arrived at the station we met two women, one identified as a chaplain and another who introduced herself as a counsellor,” the sister said. “It was there that they were informed about the sad developments before being escorted to the cell where we found him.”

The family was then led to the holding area, where they found Brian’s body inside the cell.

Claire claimed they observed blood stains on his clothes, signs of bleeding from his nose and excessive sweating, which they say raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.

The deceased’s mother, Susan Wambui, described her son as a quiet young man who had no reason to steal the items he was accused of taking.

“I want justice for my son. We have been given no proper explanation except being told he committed suicide,” she said.

The family further raised concerns over inconsistencies regarding the alleged complainant and the apartment layout linked to the alleged theft.

According to Njambi, police informed them that the complainant lived on the ground floor while Brian lived on the first floor.

However, after visiting the apartment themselves, the family claims they established that the complainant occupied the first floor while Brian lived on the second floor.

They also said Brian had moved into the apartment only three weeks earlier and was still settling into his studies.

The family is now calling on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and other investigative agencies to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the incident.