Communication strategist Odhiambo Otieno has criticised the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) over its silence following the death of 19-year-old boda boda rider Eric Otieno.
Shortly after his release from Muthaiga Police Station, questions have emerged whether the police watchdog is carrying out its oversight mandate.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM on Thursday, Otieno said IPOA should have addressed the matter by now, warning that continued silence encourages impunity within the police service.
"IPOA's duty is to oversee the police. Why is it that they have not said anything about the allegations surrounding the death of a person in police custody? What explains the silence? Are they trying to protect the police? What other business should they be involved in if not police oversight?" he posed.
He noted three days after the incident, IPOA was yet to issue a substantive statement or assure the public that investigations were underway.
"If you remain silent or appear to condone such actions, they will continue," he said.
Otieno also criticised Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, accusing him of failing to provide leadership on police accountability.
"Murkomen is failing the government. He is showing us why he should not be in that office and how he has no understanding of what security looks like," he observed.
He questioned why CCTV footage from the police station had not been made public, despite Murkomen previously saying police stations have functioning surveillance cameras.
"He confirmed that every police station has a working CCTV system. If that is the case, why hasn't the footage been released?" he asked.
According to Otieno, such incidents continue to fuel public anger against the police and the government.
"Police officers are trained to protect lives, yet we continue seeing people leaving police stations as dead bodies. Such things should never happen in a country governed by the rule of law," he explained.
His remarks come after Otieno, a boda boda rider from Mathare, was arrested on Saturday, August 1 on suspicion of preparing to commit a felony and released on the night of August 2.
His family said they collected him from Muthaiga Police Station in severe pain and rushed him to Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem found he died of massive internal haemorrhage from a ruptured spleen consistent with blunt force trauma.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations opened inquiries and has since handed the case to IPOA, National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said Wednesday.
The case echoes previous deaths in police custody, among them Albert Ojwang, who died at Central Police Station in Nairobi in 2025 after what an autopsy found was severe blunt trauma; officers have since been charged. Brian Njunge died at Kiambu Police Station of manual strangulation, a case under active IPOA and DCI investigation.
Peter Keru died at Kariobangi North Police Station under circumstances IPOA is investigating.
Bernard Nyakwama Omai died at Kibera police station. Simon Warui, 26, died at Mombasa Central Police Station with a post-mortem showing fractures and ligature marks.
The Kianjakoma brothers, Emmanuel Mutura and Benson Njiru, died from blunt force head injuries in a police vehicle in 2021 during Covid-19 curfew enforcement; six officers are on trial.
Otieno argued the recurring cases show existing accountability mechanisms are failing.
"These are supposed to be the safest places for citizens, yet people continue dying in police cells," he said.
He traced the problem to police recruitment, training and working conditions.
"Things don't just go wrong; they start wrong. If someone pays to be recruited into the police service, then the system is already rotten from the beginning," he noted.
He added many officers receive only basic training before deployment and rarely undergo refresher courses, while corruption in recruitment affects the quality of officers joining the service.
"We know there are many good officers, but we must first review how they are recruited, how they are treated and what deterrence exists for rogue officers," he said.
Otieno explained officers often work under difficult conditions and are denied the independence to make professional decisions.
"They are threatened by their superiors and told to follow orders at all costs. They have a duty to reject unlawful orders because, when things go wrong, those issuing the orders often abandon them," he said.
He called for continuous disciplinary action against rogue officers, saying station commanders often know who problematic officers are but fail to act.
"We need to weed out rogue characters before they commit these acts. Most OCSs know who these officers are, but they rarely enforce the disciplinary mechanisms available to them," he added.
He warned continued cases of police brutality risk eroding public trust in law enforcement.
"The Kenya Police Service is toying with fire by telling people to protect themselves. Eventually, citizens will lose trust in the police, reject their authority and even fear entering police stations," he said.
He stressed suspects retain all constitutional rights while in custody.
"The law is very clear on how suspects should be treated. No one loses their fundamental rights simply because they are under arrest," he stressed.
On reforms, Otieno called for greater independence for IPOA, saying Parliament should insulate the authority from political interference.
