Kenyan prisoners 'suffocated'
2004-09-28 10:27
Nairobi - Five men being held on remand in a tiny overcrowded cell have died in eastern Kenya, prison officials and press reports said on Tuesday, citing medical neglect and long hours of enforced standing as the probable cause of death.
Silas Tambum, a prison official in the town of Meru, said that 23 other inmates had been admitted to hospital as a result of the alleged neglect. He said the five died early on Monday.
"Medical officers here are still looking into the cause of the deaths, but initial investigation point at suffocation or infected wounds caused by long standing hours in their cell," Tambum said by telephone.
The five dead were among 12 men crammed together in a cell measuring about three by six feet, where they were obliged to stand for long hours due to congestion, the Daily Nation newspaper reported.
The 23 who were admitted to the Meru district hospital had swollen feet and open wounds, Tambum said.