NANYUKI, Kenya – Tensions are running high in Likii slum, Nanyuki, after police officers blocked Gen Z protesters from accessing Nanyuki town.
The demonstrators are demanding justice for Julia Njoki, a 24-year-old woman who died after allegedly being tortured while in police custody following her arrest during the Saba Saba protests.
Protesters lit bonfires and erected barricades along the main road leading into Nanyuki town, calling for the immediate arrest of the officer accused of assaulting Njoki and for an independent investigation into her death.
Njoki was reportedly arrested on the evening of July 7, 2025, while heading home and was detained at Nanyuki Police Station.
She was later arraigned in court on charges of malicious damage and held at Nanyuki Women’s Prison remand after failing to raise a Ksh50,000 bond.
Her family says she developed serious health complications while in custody and was eventually taken to hospital, where she succumbed on July 12.
Preliminary Medical Report Raises Questions
A preliminary medical report obtained by her family revealed that Njoki suffered blunt force trauma to the head, suggesting she had endured a severe beating.
The Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) confirmed that Njoki was admitted to prison on July 8 at around 5:20pm alongside four other women.
She began complaining of headaches, dizziness, and stomach pain around 7:00pm.
She was rushed to Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, and when her condition worsened, she was referred for a CT scan at Cottage Hospital, where she was admitted to the ICU.
She underwent surgery the following morning but died four days later.
Njoki’s family has since raised concerns over the circumstances of her detention and the delay in getting her timely medical attention.
Postmortem Scheduled as Outrage Mounts
A postmortem examination is scheduled for Tuesday next week to determine the exact cause of death.
Meanwhile, the protests in Nanyuki have escalated as civil society groups and human rights defenders rally behind the family’s calls for justice.
Njoki’s case has drawn widespread outrage, coming shortly after the controversial death of teacher Albert Ojwang’, who also died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody.
Rights groups have demanded urgent investigations into custodial abuse and called for accountability in Kenya’s law enforcement agencies.
