Probe as man dies after arrest over suspected fake insurance sticker in Nyandarua

A 59-year-old man arrested over suspected traffic and insurance-related offences died shortly after being taken into police custody at Mirangine Police Station in Nyandarua county.

According to police the incident began on June 24, 2026, at around 10:30 am when traffic officers conducting patrols along the Dundori–Oljororok road intercepted a Toyota Probox at the Headquarters area within Mirangine.

The vehicle was being driven by George Kihia Kirathe, who was stopped for alleged traffic violations.

Police escorted both the driver and the vehicle to Mirangine Police Station, where preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that the vehicle’s insurance sticker appeared valid but had in fact expired, raising suspicion that it may have been fraudulently obtained.

The matter was subsequently handed over to officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). During interrogation, Kirathe allegedly led investigators to a cyber café at Dundori Centre where he claimed to have procured the insurance sticker.

The cyber café proprietor was arrested and taken to Mirangine Police Station to assist with investigations.

Police said both suspects were booked into custody, while Kirathe was taken to the DCI office for further questioning. However, shortly afterwards, he reportedly complained of chest pains.

Officers rushed him to Mirangine Health Centre for medical attention, but he was pronounced unresponsive upon examination by healthcare workers.

His body was later moved to the J.M. Kariuki Memorial Hospital mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a postmortem examination to establish the exact cause of death.

The death occurred while the suspect was under police custody and is expected to be subjected to the mandatory investigations and inquest procedures required in such cases. Investigations into the suspected fake insurance sticker are also continuing.

Officials from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority were informed and joined the probe.

They said they would give out their report on the possible cause of the death after an autopsy is conducted on the body.

Meanwhile, police in Murang’a county are investigating the death of a 61-year-old man whose body was found floating in an irrigation water pan in Gakarati area, Murang’a South Subcounty.

According to police, a resident alerted authorities after spotting his brother’s body in a water pan used by small-scale farmers for irrigation.

Police officers who visited the scene at Gakarati, established that the deceased was Samuel Mbugua Muchoki, aged 61.

The officers found the body floating in the water reservoir and confirmed that the man had apparently drowned. A preliminary examination of the body revealed no visible external injuries.

The scene was documented by investigators before the body was removed and transferred to the Murang’a Level 5 Hospital Mortuary for preservation pending a postmortem examination.

Police have launched investigations to establish the circumstances under which the deceased ended up in the irrigation water pan. The autopsy is expected to determine the exact cause of death.