By SANDRA MULOMI
The United Green Movement (UGM) Party has demanded an independent investigation into the death of 19-year-old boda boda rider Erick Otieno, who died days after being arrested and held at Muthaiga Police Station.
In a statement, UGM Secretary General Katto Wambua said Otieno was arrested on a Saturday over what his family described as a minor traffic offence and died the following Tuesday while in police custody.
Wambua said the circumstances surrounding his death had raised serious questions about the treatment he received while in custody and called for all officers involved in his arrest and detention to be identified and investigated.
“His family collected him battered and struggling to stand, and a post-mortem has since established he died of fatal internal injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma,” UGM said.
The retired chief Justice David Maraga led party said the post-mortem findings had heightened concerns over reports that money was allegedly demanded from Otieno while he was in custody.
“A young man left home to earn an honest living and was returned to his family as a corpse,” Wambua said.
The party stressed that the allegations should be subjected to an independent investigation and warned against interference in the process.
“These reports must be tested fully, independently and without interference. Erick Otieno held rights the State was sworn to protect — to life, dignity, freedom from torture and humane treatment in custody,” the party said.
Wambua cited Articles 26, 28, 29, 49 and 51 of the Constitution, which provide for the right to life, human dignity, freedom and security of the person, rights of arrested persons and rights of persons detained or held in custody.
The party said Otieno’s family had a right to know what happened to him while in police custody and called for those found culpable to face disciplinary and criminal action.
“His family deserves the truth; Kenya deserves accountability,” UGM said.
The party also argued that Otieno’s death should not be viewed as an isolated incident, saying it pointed to broader concerns about police accountability and the treatment of suspects in custody.
“This is not an isolated tragedy. It is a warning that compensation for victims of police violence, while necessary, can never substitute for justice, and that transferring rogue officers from one station to another will never end impunity,” Wambua said.
The party called for fundamental reforms in the National Police Service, arguing that policing should be centred on serving citizens and protecting their constitutional rights.
“Kenya needs the urgent transformation of its police into a service for the Wananchi, not a force feared by the very people it is constitutionally bound to protect,” Wambua said.
UGM invoked Article 244 of the Constitution, which requires the National Police Service to strive for the highest standards of professionalism and discipline, promote and practise transparency and accountability, and comply with constitutional standards of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The party said the circumstances surrounding Otieno’s death amounted to a betrayal of these constitutional obligations.
Wambua also turned its criticism on the national government, accusing President William Ruto of failing to hold Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen politically accountable for what it described as failures in the Interior docket.
“President Ruto has failed to hold Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen politically accountable for the failures in the Interior docket,” the party said.
It further accused the government of shielding the Interior Ministry from accountability and said this risked perpetuating impunity among security officers.
“A government that shields the Interior from accountability has chosen the impunity of its officers over the lives of its citizens,” UGM said.
The party has called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to immediately open and conclude an independent investigation into Otieno’s death and make its findings public.
It wants all officers who were involved in the arrest, detention and handling of Otieno to be identified, while station records, signal logs, CCTV footage and medical records are secured to preserve evidence.
UGM further demanded that officers implicated in wrongdoing be subjected to lawful disciplinary and criminal proceedings.
It said officers suspected of involvement should be suspended rather than transferred to other stations as investigations proceed.
“Suspension, not transfer, pending the outcome” of investigations should be the standard where officers are implicated, the party said.
UGM also called on the National Police Service to guarantee protection for Otieno’s family, witnesses and whistle-blowers who may provide information to investigators.
The party wants the Ministry of Interior and Murkomen to publicly account for measures being taken to tackle allegations of extortion, torture and deaths in police custody.
It also called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to direct a comprehensive investigation and publicly report on its outcome.
The party further demanded full implementation of the recommendations of the Police Reforms Taskforce chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga, arguing that reforms should translate into practical oversight and accountability mechanisms.
UGM said Otieno’s family should receive justice, protection and support, alongside other families who have lost relatives in circumstances involving State security agencies.
“As Greens, UGM stands for a return to Ukatiba, human dignity and the rule of law,” the party said.
The statement also took on a political dimension, with UGM linking the Otieno case to the 2027 presidential contest.
The party said its presidential candidate, former Chief Justice David Maraga, was associated with the police reforms that it accused the current administration of failing to implement.
“Our presidential candidate, former Chief Justice David Maraga, is the father of the very police reforms this government has flatly failed to implement,” UGM said.
The party said a government led by Maraga would seek to overhaul policing and place constitutionalism, accountability and human rights at the centre of security operations.
“As a green government-in-waiting, UGM will reset, restore and rebuild policing on a constitutional, citizen-centred and human-rights foundation, so that no family ever again buries a child killed by those paid to protect them,” it said.
UGM urged Kenyans to reject impunity and support its political agenda in the 2027 elections, arguing that security could not be guaranteed if citizens feared those entrusted with protecting them.
“There can be no security for all when a 19-year-old can die after an encounter with those entrusted to protect him,” the party said.
It called for justice for Otieno and broader reforms to the country’s policing system.
“Justice for Erick Otieno. Reform the Police. Protect Every Kenyan,” the party said.
