Man recounts how son died following arrest over defilement allegations

A court was yesterday told that a man suspected to have defiled a mentally challenged girl died in police custody.

Henry Odhiambo told High Court Judge Jesse Njagi that two policemen stormed his home in Lung’anyiro village, Matungu, at 10pm on June 10, 2015 and arrested his son Herbert Ouma.

Mr Odhiambo said the officers, who he suspected had been trailing Ouma, told him they had a warrant issued by the Mumias Law Courts to arrest Ouma.

When he asked why his son was being detained, they told him to visit Lung’anyiro Administration Police post the next day armed with Sh50,000 to secure Ouma’s release.

Odhiambo told the court he was at the police post by 6am, but an officer told him to go to St Mary’s Mission Hospital, where Ouma had been hospitalised.

“At the hospital I was told my son had died and that the body was being preserved in the mortuary. When I went to see him, he had a swollen body and his clothes were stained with fresh blood,” said Odhiambo.

Odhiambo was testifying in a case where Corporal Silas Waswa and Police Constable George Omune are charged with Ouma’s murder.

The policemen, who had been sent to execute a warrant of arrest against Ouma are alleged to have assaulted and killed him inside the police cells.

Sergeant Erick Makhokha told court he sent Waswa and Omune to arrest the suspect. “They went and arrested him after which they told me they had effected the warrant. When they reached the AP Post, the suspect fell from the motorcycle that was carrying them and lost consciousness.”

The matter was adjourned to July 3.