My horrifying 48 hours in a Nakuru jail
Joseph Kihugi a vendor at Soko market in Nakuru.
To this day, Joseph Kihugi, a banana vendor at Soko market, shudders at the sound of clanking metal bars. It once provided a dissonant soundtrack to the worst experience of his life.
That was when he spent 48 hours in a Nakuru prison, thanks to a case of mistaken identity.
He remembers that fateful day as if it were yesterday, when he was arrested as he left the market and falsely accused of being a member of the Confirm gang.
"It was November 28 at 7pm, I had just left work, on my way home there was a sudden chaos of people running past me and not knowing the reason for the frenzy, I stood frozen. Within minutes, the heavy hand of the law descended upon me," said Kihugi.
He tried to find out the reason for his arrest, but the officers told him nothing until they reached the central police station, where he learned that he was accused of being a member of Confirm, a gang he knew nothing about.
"In the dimly lit cell, I was forced to surrender a shoe, my wallet and belt, symbols of my autonomy, were ruthlessly snatched away, leaving me exposed to the harsh reality of detention," he said.
According to Kihugi, time seemed to stand still and the only sound they could hear to indicate some civilisation was the distant echo of running footsteps, all the while regretting not running like everyone else in the market.
"I shivered on the cold floor for two days, my breath visible in the damp air, the unjust reality of my arrest torturing me as I thought of the state of my two children as their breadwinner," he recounts.
He also notes that sharing the cramped space with 15 others, coupled with the stench of desperation, was unbearable.
"But one thing has certainly improved and that is hygiene. I can't compare to when I was locked up for a day in 2010, where we answered nature's call in a bucket, now there is a separate room for toilet and bathroom and hygiene is maintained on a daily basis by the people arrested," he said.
"I thank my sister for coming to my rescue and paying Sh4,000 for his release. I implore the officers to reconsider sparing innocent lives from false accusations because in my case it was a case of mistaken identity," Kihugi said.