Outrage as woman miscarriages in custody after pleas for help ignored

A pregnant woman holding her belly. [Courtesy/GettyImages]

Police in Nyandarua County are investigating a case in which a woman allegedly suffered a miscarriage in a police cell at Rwanyambu Police Post in Kinangop on Tuesday night.

Angry residents on Wednesday stormed the police station, demanding that action be taken against the officers manning the post, who allegedly refused to take her to hospital despite her pleas.

The woman had been arrested at the Flyover trading centre on Tuesday night and taken to the police post at around 11:00 p.m. Her former employer, a bar owner at Sulmac trading centre, had reported her to the authorities, accusing her of failing to account for Sh9,000 during her employment.

Relatives of the woman said she began experiencing severe abdominal pain around 1:00 a.m. and begged the officers to allow her to seek medical attention.

However, her pleas were allegedly ignored, and she was instead subjected to verbal abuse.

"She called us through one of the officers' numbers, who was cooperative, informing us of the matter. However, they refused to take her to hospital, and that is when she miscarried," said a relative, Jane Wangechi.

The incident came to light on Wednesday morning, triggering a wave of protests from area residents who accused the police of negligence and abuse of power.

“This is unacceptable. How can a pregnant woman in distress be ignored like that? We want justice,” said one of the protesters.

The Rwanyambu Police Post has previously been in the spotlight for alleged misconduct. In a separate incident reported recently, officers from the same post were accused of extorting Sh18,000 from a resident by falsely accusing them of selling uninspected meat.

In this latest case, the woman is said to have had only Sh6,000, which the officers reportedly rejected before detaining her overnight.

Local leaders and human rights groups have condemned the incident and are calling for an immediate investigation into the conduct of the officers involved.

“We cannot continue to allow law enforcement officers to act with impunity. The responsible officers must be held accountable,” said a representative from a local human rights organisation, Paul Njoroge.

Nyandarua County Commissioner Abdrisack Jaldesa said that he was aware of the matter and promised to provide more details later.

“It is true that there were demonstrations at the police post. We are gathering more information on what transpired and will share further details. Action will be taken against those found liable for any offence,” he said.