A cloud of grief and anger hangs over Kilifi County after 15‑year‑old Crispus Baraka Kitsao was found dead inside a pit latrine at Bamba Police Station on the morning of Saturday, 19 April 2025. The teenager, a Form Two pupil at Godoma Boys High School, had been held over an alleged assault on his 16‑year‑old girlfriend.
Crispus was arrested on 18 April after the girl’s parents complained he had stabbed her nose and broken her arm. His family insists the relationship was consensual and that the complaint stemmed from parental disapproval.
Ganze Sub‑County Police Commander Paul Yator said Crispus hanged himself with his T‑shirt while cleaning the latrine unattended—despite regulations requiring detainees to be monitored at all times. An inmate discovered his body when the latrine door remained locked from the inside.
His grandmother, Gladicy Riziki, produced his birth certificate to confirm he was born on 21 July 2009, not 2006 as initially claimed by officers. She also alleged he had been beaten during the arrest and that the family received threats beforehand.
“We want an independent autopsy and investigation. We suspect foul play,” Riziki said. “If he had been properly supervised, this tragedy could have been avoided.”
Police noted Crispus had previously attempted suicide and faced defilement charges—later dropped when both parties were found to be minors. His body now lies at Kilifi Referral Hospital pending a full autopsy.
Residents of Bamba Village say they’re stunned that a child in custody could be left alone in such dangerous circumstances. Community leaders are demanding accountability as detectives from Kilifi DCI continue their probe.
As the investigation unfolds, calls are growing for clearer guidelines on juvenile detention and stricter enforcement of supervision rules in police stations across Kenya.
