NATIONAL REPORT 2016 Victim Stories Sillah Muhia Kinyanjui,3 59 was arrested on suspicion of killing his brother’s wife by the flying squad unit on 15 September 1997 at Hannah’s Lodge in the Pangani area in Nairobi County, where he was visiting his sister who worked in the hotel. His wife, father, mother, elder brother and a neighbor had earlier been arrested at their rural home at Kanunga / Ndakaine in Gatanga, Murang’a County. The entire administration of the surrounding area, including five police stations, was not aware of the crime they were accused of. Sillah was taken to Makuyu Police Station in the boot of a station wagon and tortured in the nearby forest the next day. He was suspended in the air by a rope tied to his wrists, with the same rope affixing him to the trunk of the tree. He was continuously beaten at the knees and ankle joints by three policemen with what appeared to be wooden hoe handles, while the officer in charge (Mr. Kamunde - now deceased) kept watch, armed and ready to shoot. Sillah’s knee caps were completely crushed and the surrounding ligaments torn. It was only at the intervention of a herdsman, grazing animals nearby, that the torture ended. The herdsman begged them not to kill Sillah, at least not in his presence. After lowering him to the ground they tied a string to his testicles against a stone and asked him to jump, causing serious injuries to his testicles. After trying to shield a blow to his jaw, Sillah injured his forearm and as a result were not able to stretch his fingers. Today, he is still not able to stretch one of his fingers. He also lost six teeth . Afterwards he was taken to the Thika Police Station to await charges. Upon arrival, the police officer on duty, who was also Sillah’s neighbour, recognised Sillah and alerted his relatives and friends. They came in large numbers and begged for him to receive medical intervention. Under heavy police escort, they were allowed to take him to a nearby private hospital where doctors attended to his multiple injuries. At his first court appearance the judge ordered for his hospitalisation on 20 September 1997. He was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital where he stayed for the next three months undergoing treatment. Sillah’s case was referred to Nairobi High Court after he refused to admit his guilt and agree to their suggestion to become a state witness. He was then remanded at the Industrial area Prison for the rest of his incarceration. During his time there his injured jaw and gums flared up and the doctor ordered for immediate treatment and replacement of teeth lost during the torture. The whole process of incarceration in the remand prison system lasted for the next four years before he, his wife and his brother were acquitted on 20 September 2001 for lack of evidence. His children, who at the time of arrest were at the ages of 12, 10, nine and five years, were left without a particular caregiver because of the abruptness of the arrest. They were deeply traumatised and remain emotionally vulnerable. It was the community that came to their rescue and provided for their basic needs, including education in nearby schools. page 9 They were deeply traumatised and remain emotionally vulnerable. It was the community that came to their rescue and provided for their basic needs, including education in nearby schools.