Nanyuki town is under tight security today as hundreds of residents, particularly from the Likii area, take to the streets to protest the death of 24-year-old Julia Wangui Kariuki. Demonstrators are demanding answers and justice following her mysterious death while in police custody.
According to reports, Julia died on Friday while being held at the Nanyuki Women’s Prison, just hours after her admission. Family members and human rights activists allege that she sustained fatal injuries from being hit with a blunt object, raising serious concerns about the circumstances leading to her death.
Julia had been arrested during the Saba Saba Day protests and was arraigned in court on July 8, where she faced charges of malicious damage to property. After taking a plea, she was remanded to the Nanyuki Women’s Prison, where her health allegedly deteriorated rapidly. She was later transferred to hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
Her grandmother, Susan Kirigo Rienye, delivered an emotional plea during the protest, calling for divine justice.
“Whoever killed my granddaughter, God in heaven is going to come back to your children. May they die with the bullet,” she cried out, reflecting the pain and anger felt by many in the community.
As tension builds, a heavy police presence has been deployed across Nanyuki to quell any unrest. Meanwhile, the Kenya Prisons Service and police authorities are yet to issue a detailed statement on the exact circumstances surrounding Julia’s death.
Residents and rights groups are now calling for an independent investigation, demanding accountability and transparency in what they describe as yet another tragic case of police brutality.
