Two police officers will each serve 35 years in prison after the High Court found them guilty of torturing a man to death at Mbururu Police Post in Kakamega County.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi handed down the sentence to Constables Emmanuel Wafula Vyambaka, 35, and Godwine Wekesa Siirengo, 38, after ruling that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The two police officers were found guilty of murdering 31-year-old Dennis Lusava, who had died in custody.
In his judgment, Justice Nyakundi scolded the officers for breaching their duty to protect life, choosing instead to end it. He pointed out that the death of Lusava was preventable and underscored the gravity of abusing authority.
The judge also added that the aggravating circumstances squarely outweighed the officers’ plea of leniency and rejected their request for non-custodial sentences.
“They Had No Right to Take His Life” – Judge Condemns Misuse of Power
Judge Nyakundi explained that it is a duty of every human being to protect the right to life, and the two officers had no right to strip him of it.
“We must all ensure that the right to life is upheld everywhere, including in our homes and across the country,” he stated during sentencing.
He reminded the court that the accused were not ordinary citizens but trained officers serving in the National Police Service and entrusted with the responsibility to safeguard life and property.
“It was an unfortunate incident and could have been avoided,” Justice Nyakundi said, dismissing any suggestion that the killing was done in self-defense or under provocation.
Scientific Evidence and Witness Testimony Expose Officers’ Role
The prosecution, led by Sidi Kirenge, called more than 20 witnesses to testify in the case. Justice Reuben Nyakundi said the evidence presented, including scientific analysis, directly linked the two officers to the murder.
He revealed that DNA samples from Dennis Lusava’s body matched those found in a vehicle the officers had hired-one they later used to dump his body in River Nzoia.
Justice Nyakundi noted that the officers arrested Lusava on October 4, 2020, and took him to Mbururu Police Post. Witnesses, including Lusava’s mother, later found him there with visible injuries.
The judge pointed out that Vyambaka and Siirengo were the last people seen with Lusava. His mother returned to the station on October 7 to request his release, but officers told her he had been released.
However, multiple witnesses painted a disturbing picture of Lusava’s final hours. One testified that he saw the victim bleeding, while another heard him crying out for his life inside the police post.
“A witness heard him pleading not to be killed while at the police post where his mother also found him tied to a window,” Justice Nyakundi observed.
Retaliation, Torture, and Cover-Up: A Chilling Chain of Events
The Judge ruled that Mbururu Police Post was the only location where Dennis Lusava could have sustained the fatal injuries, and he held the two officers as the central figures behind the killing.
He determined that the murder was premeditated, backed by transactional evidence that pointed to a conspiracy involving the accused officers.
“There was no indication of a struggle or any provocation that would justify a claim of self-defense,” the judge noted.
Nyakundi drew a direct connection between Lusava’s arrest, his detention at the police post, and the grim discovery of his body in River Nzoia on October 2022.
“When the mother came to the police post seeking to have her son released, she was told that her son had been released – only for his lifeless body to be found dumped in the river,” he said.
The judge’s remarks pointed out not just the brutality of the crime, but also the deliberate efforts to cover it up.
Court records indicated that Dennis Lusava’s confrontation with the police began in 2020 when policemen arrested him for not wearing a face mask outdoors. Civilians intervened in the situation and rescued him, humiliating the police in the process.
Handcuffed to Window and Brutalised
Three days later, on October 7, the officers allegedly conspired to retaliate. They reportedly enlisted a friend to lure Lusava back to the station. Upon arrival, they arrested him again and handcuffed him to one of the windows at the Mbururu Police Post.
While detained, Lusava is reported to have been brutally assaulted, kicked, punched, and shocked with wires. His mother, Ambale, visited the station and found him in a sorry state, openly wounded and tied to the window. When she pleaded for his release, the officers demanded Ksh2,000 as a fee.
In spite of his poor health, Lusava then tried to seek medical care, but the officers allegedly shoved him back into the station. One physician who treated him subsequently testified that he heard him scream in pain moments before he lost consciousness.
According to the prosecution, the officers then transported his lifeless body to Webuye and dumped it in River Nzoia. They later altered the police Occurrence Book to falsely indicate that Lusava had already been released.
His body was discovered on October 11 bringing to light the cruel cover-up behind his death.
The post From Arrest to River Nzoia: How Two Officers Killed and Covered Up a Murder Over Mask Row appeared first on Bossnana.
