Questions are mounting over security and accountability at Kericho Annex Prison following the death of a 19-year-old remand prisoner in a suspected case of suicide.

Her family is demanding answers about how she obtained a bedsheet and why they were not notified until nearly 10 hours after the incident.

Brenda Chemutai was reportedly found hanging from a double-decker bed at around 9 am when her fellow cellmates were having breakfast on Friday.

 

The cell had eight inmates, who had gone for breakfast, according to a police report.

However, her relatives state they were not informed until about 7 pm, after her body had already been taken from the prison and transferred to the Kericho County Hospital Mortuary.

The delay has raised serious concerns for the family, which calls for authorities to clarify what happened between the time Chemutai was discovered and when her next of kin were contacted.

Kericho East Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officer, Kennedy Apindi, said police have launched investigations following reports from prison officials that the incident was a suicide.

He mentioned that preliminary information indicated Chemutai allegedly used a bedsheet.

The family, however, insists that investigators determine when she was found, who discovered her, when the incident was reported to police, who authorised her body’s removal, and why her relatives were not notified immediately.

“We had spoken with Brenda. She was expected to be released around December, and by January we would all have been together at home,” said her sister, Phyllis Cherotich.

Cherotich added that the family had seen no signs indicating Chemutai intended to take her own life.

“Her death has shocked us deeply. She never mentioned any plans of this nature. We want to understand how this was possible given the level of security at the facility,” she said.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged use of a bedsheet have also raised questions for the family.

Her uncle, Michael Rono, questioned how such an item came into Chemutai’s possession while she was in a remand facility.

“I am deeply surprised. When one enters the prison, one is carefully searched. Where did the bedsheet come from? We ask the government to ensure justice is done,” Rono said.

Chemutai had been in remand since 2024, with her relatives saying she was arrested while still a minor and had spent nearly two years awaiting the conclusion of her case.

She was being tried for the offence of possession of bhang in a vehicle allegedly belonging to a senior police officer.

Her death has consequently brought renewed scrutiny to not only what happened inside the prison but also the circumstances that led to her prolonged detention.

Youth activists from the Voice of Youth Organisation, led by Kelvin Kipchichir, have joined the family in demanding investigations into both the death and the case that resulted in Chemutai’s detention.

Kipchichir claimed Chemutai was arrested alongside other suspects in a vehicle allegedly linked to an Officer Commanding Station serving in Kakamega.

According to the activists, police recovered 32 rolls of bhang from the vehicle, while some of the suspects allegedly fled, leaving Chemutai behind.

The claims have not been independently established.

Kipchichir questioned why Chemutai remained in custody for such a prolonged period and called for scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the vehicle and its alleged connection to the police officer.

“We are concerned that an OCS in the National Police Service could allow a vehicle to be used by an individual with a known criminal record,” he said.

He called on the Ministry of Interior to establish who owned or controlled the vehicle and under what circumstances it was allegedly being used.

The activists said the vehicle was still at Kericho Police Station.

For the family, the tragedy has been compounded by personal loss. Chemutai’s father died while she was in remand, while she leaves behind a young child.

Relatives said detectives had informed them that the person alleged to own the bhang had since been arrested and was being held in Kisumu.

But the immediate question for Chemutai’s family is what happened during her final hours.

They want a clear account of the period between the reported discovery of her body at about 9 am and the notification of the family nearly 10 hours later.

They also want investigators to establish how the bedsheet allegedly used in the incident came into her possession and whether prison officers followed all required procedures after she was found.

The activists are calling for the inquiry to extend beyond the death of Chemutai to her arrest, the length of her detention and the handling of the case against her.

The family has demanded a transparent and independent investigation, saying it wants answers on how a teenager who entered the justice system while still a minor ended up dead in remand custody.

The family says it wants those questions answered before proceeding with burial arrangements.