By:Betty Luke
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja shaking hands with other police bosses. PHOTO/NPS
The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has ordered immediate interdiction of officers responsible for detainees whenever death occurs inside a police station, a move expected to strengthen accountability and reassure communities over the safety of people held in custody.
Kanja directed that the Occurrence Book (OB) recorder, cell sentry and duty officer be interdicted whenever a detainee dies in police cells, pending investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death.
“This is an area that, at your level, you must address, and I want to make it very clear that any death occurring in police cells, the OB recorder, the cell sentry, and the duty officer, those officers must be interdicted immediately pending investigations,” Kanja said.
The directive comes amid growing public concern over deaths in police custody, with the latest case involving a female police officer who was found dead inside Kisii Central Police Station on Monday night.
The new directive is set to provide greater confidence that officers will be held responsible when something goes wrong in police custody.
“Every detainee must be treated in accordance with the law until they are arraigned,” he said, insisting that station heads must take direct responsibility for people booked at their stations.
Deputy Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli said the continued deaths in police cells pointed to a serious problem that requires urgent intervention, calling on officers to treat detainees with dignity.
“There is something seriously wrong somewhere that must be addressed at all costs to get rid of deaths in police cells,” Masengeli said.
Deaths in police cells have emerged as a critical human rights concern, with data showing a rise in fatalities between 2023 and 2026. According to a report by the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), at least 17 people died in police or prison custody between 2024 and 2025, with injuries, neglect and abuse cited among the reported causes.
The police bosses also warned officers against criminal conduct and failure to act on threats, domestic violence, land disputes and criminal gangs.
Kanja further directed commanders to act against gangs and goons in their jurisdictions, warning that officers who fail to confront criminal activity risk losing their commands.
“Do not allow goonism and other criminal gangs in your areas of command,” he said.The police bosses spoke during a sensitization meeting for police leadership at the National Police Leadership Academy in Ngong.
