Police launch investigation into mysterious death of inmate

The family of a 22-year-old inmate at Kisii Main Prison is seeking answers after their son died on Saturday morning under unclear circumstances.

Kevine Otieno had spent over three years in prison after he was sentenced to death in 2012 for robbery with violence.
According to a report at the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH), Otieno was brought in on October 10 with a head injury and admitted at the hospital to undergo a computerized scan and several X-rays.

The deceased reportedly had a history of assault as he had multiple injuries on his left leg.

The prison officers who took him to hospital claimed he slipped and fell on stairs at the prison facility and an X-ray showed that he had segmented fractures in his hands and legs.

By Wednesday last week, the medical report revealed that Otieno was in a coma. His condition was to improve later but he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.

His sister, Caroline Onyango, had on Monday travelled to visit his brother in prison but was told to come the following day.

After unsuccessful attempts to see their kin, the family waited for information on his whereabouts before being informed that he had passed on.

The officer in charge of the prison, Mohammed, said that investigations have been launched to establish the cause of Otieno’s death, adding that the directorate of criminal investigations is handling the matter.

According to Mohammed, the inmate was found with three mobile phones during a routine search that was carried out by prison warders who are mandated to search prisoners for contraband, but he became violent when the officers tried to confiscate the phones.

Mohammed further noted that it was wrong to keep the family in the dark on Otieno’s death.