Julia Njoki died in police custody

Julia Njoki was a young woman arrested on July 7, 2025, during the nationwide Saba Saba protests in Kenya against police violence and government corruption. She was taken into custody in Nanyuki and later died while in remand at Nanyuki Women’s Prison. Her family alleges that she was brutally assaulted by police officers while in custody, suffering blunt force trauma to the head. She was found unconscious in her cell, rushed to hospital, but died on July 11, 2025. The family and human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into her death, which has sparked widespread condemnation and renewed calls to end police brutality in Kenya. The National Police Service clarified that Julia Njoki did not die in police custody but in prison after being remanded following her arraignment on charges of malicious property damage. They denied claims that she was assaulted by police while in a cell, stating she fell ill and was admitted to hospital before passing away. However, this official version has been met with skepticism and demands for transparency from activists and public figures. Julia Njoki’s death is part of a troubling pattern of alleged custodial deaths of protesters and activists in Kenya, including the recent case of Albert Ojwang, who also died under suspicious circumstances in police custody. In summary, Julia Njoki was a protester who died in custody under contested circumstances, with her family and many Kenyans alleging police brutality as the cause, while official police statements deny assault and attribute her death to illness in prison. @https://www.instagram.com/p/DL95Hh6tozy @https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/julia%20njoki/177818/julia-njoki-died-in-prison-not-in-police-custody-police-now-says @https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2025/07/police-on-the-spotlight-as-family-alleges-death-of-nanyuki-protester-in-custody @dr, miguna miguna - X @https://youtu.be/8NnPpwPglFc?si=9lb3I7psA4vRUrqW @https://viraltea.co.ke/julia-njoki-dies-after-assault-in-police-custody