IPOA takes over probe after Mathare boda rider Erick Otieno dies post-custody
Key points
- IPOA has taken over investigations into the death of Erick Otieno, 19, a Mathare boda boda rider.
- NPS said he died at Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital after release from Muthaiga Police Station; family allege injuries in custody.
- Post-mortem reports cited massive internal haemorrhage from abdominal trauma, including a ruptured spleen, consistent with blunt force.
- Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said DCI started inquiries then handed the file to IPOA; police urged calm and cooperation.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is now the lead agency on the death of Erick Otieno, a 19-year-old boda boda rider from Mathare who died after a spell at Muthaiga Police Station, Eastleigh Voice reported from a National Police Service statement and family accounts.
According to reports, Otieno died at Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital after he was released from Muthaiga Police Station, where he had been held following his arrest. Relatives said they found him in severe pain when called to collect him, and that he complained of injuries allegedly inflicted while in custody. A post-mortem examination reportedly established death from massive internal haemorrhage caused by abdominal trauma, including a ruptured spleen, with multiple injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.
DCI start, IPOA takeover, public appeal for calm
In a Wednesday statement, NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) promptly began inquiries after receiving a report of Otieno’s death but had since handed the case to IPOA. “Upon receiving the report of his passing, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations promptly initiated inquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this tragic incident. The investigations have now been taken over by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority,” the statement said.
Nyaga said the police service remains committed to cooperating fully with the oversight authority for a thorough, impartial and timely investigation, extended condolences to Otieno’s family and friends, and thanked the public for cooperation. Police urged residents to remain calm, avoid speculation and provide relevant information through the nearest station and emergency lines. Crime desk: Crime. Verified handover, hospital and autopsy description as reported; individual officer names, charge decisions and final IPOA findings were not published in the same package and remain open.
Custody deaths sit at the hardest edge of public trust in policing. For Mathare and other informal-settlement riders who cycle the city’s night economy, the next decisive documents are IPOA’s interview schedule, any CCTV or OB trail from Muthaiga, and whether prosecutors later prefer charges — not social-media reconstructions of the arrest night.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of the NPS statement and published autopsy description. IPOA findings and court filings control final facts on cause and responsibility.
