Grief and fury have engulfed the Makongeni estate in Thika following the mysterious death of 23-year-old Dec Muniko Paul. The young man plummeted from the fifth floor of his apartment building during a Thursday evening police operation, sparking allegations of extrajudicial killing.

The official police report from Makongeni Station claims officers were conducting a routine raid when the deceased "panicked and jumped." However, the family vehemently disputes this narrative, alleging that officers pushed him to his death during a scuffle inside the house.

"They Pushed Him"

"My son was not a criminal. He was in his house. Why did they storm in? Why is he dead?" cried his mother outside the General Kago Mortuary. An autopsy conducted on Friday confirmed death was caused by "severe blunt force trauma consistent with a fall," but failed to determine if the fall was accidental or induced.

• The Discrepancies: Witnesses claim the officers, who were in plain clothes, did not identify themselves before breaking down the door.
• The Demand: Rights groups and the family are demanding an independent probe by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), citing a history of cover-ups in similar "falls" during police raids.

A Pattern of Impunity?

This incident comes just days after a separate viral video showed police in Nandi Hills brutally assaulting youth at a pool hall. The recurrence of such heavy-handed tactics raises serious questions about police reform in Kenya. For the residents of Thika, the death of Dec Muniko is not just a statistic; it is a tragic indictment of a security service that often feels like a threat rather than a protector.