Kakamega Family Seeks Justice As Kin Dies After Arrest Over Illicit Brew: "Nini Ilifanyika Akaaga"

• A Likuyani family is grieving the death of Cornelius Nabiswa, who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly possessing illicit brew
• Nabiswa's brother, Bernard Wandera, questioned the legality of his brother's detention, claiming he was falsely accused
• Felistus Cherop, who admitted to selling the liquor, revealed that she was released on bail, but the police refused to release Nabiswa despite her offer to pay his bail
• The family is calling for an investigation into Nabiswa's death, suspecting foul play as the police report on his medical treatment before death conflicts with the records

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Kakamega - A family in Likuyani is slowly coming to terms with the tragic death of their kin while in police custody.

Cornelius Nabiswa was reportedly arrested on Thursday, August 15, for reportedly being in possession of illicit brew.

According to Bernard Wandera, the deceased's brother, they received a strange call that Nabiswa had died, and his body was taken to the mortuary.

He questioned if the police followed the due process after arresting his brother, claiming he was falsely accused of selling illicit brew.

"My brother was arrested by the police on Thursday and has been held at the police station. Today, we received a call informing us that he passed away and had been taken to the mortuary, but no family members were informed. We're wondering, according to the law, how long should a person be held in a cell before being taken to court? He was falsely accused of selling illegal alcohol," he said.

Felistus Cherop claimed she was the one selling the liquor, but the police refused to listen to her pleas for them to release him.

She revealed that the police released her on a KSh 5000 bail but remained adamant about detaining Nabiswa despite offering to pay his bail of the same amount.

"At around 10 am., I was released on cash bail of KSh 5,000. I said, 'let Cornelius be released on cash bail as well, and I'll pay for him.' They responded, 'there’s no way we’re releasing him. He’s staying here.' Now, this morning, I was shocked to hear that Cornelius had died," Cherop narrated.

How did Cornelius Nabiswa die?

The family called for investigations into Cornelius's death, pointing out that the account the police were giving did not add up.

Wandera claimed his brother was last treated at the hospital in July, whereas the police reported to have taken him there for medical care before he died.

"The report we are getting from the police is that he was taken to the hospital and passed away there. However, when we arrived at the hospital, the medical card showed that he was treated on the 30th of July. So these are the questions we are asking ourselves: what really happened that led to our brother's death," Wandera stated.

Machakos man dies in police custody

In February, a family in Machakos lost their kin, who died mysteriously in the cell after three days of his arrest.

According to the family members, the news of the death of their kin was made known to them after he was immediately rushed to Kangundo Level 5 Hospital.

The police in charge said the suspect had killed himself in the cell.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke