Ojwang final hours: Hospital CCTV footage exposes gaps in police story

Caption A fresh twist in the mysterious death of 31-year-old Albert Ojwang' is piling pressure on the National Police Service, with emerging details now pointing to a possible police cover-up. Part of CCTV footage from Mbagathi Referral Hospital, where Ojwang' was taken for 'treatment', reveals glaring inconsistencies in the officers' conduct-stoking public outrage over police accountability and suspected foul play. Despite initial police claims that Ojwang' had hit his head against a wall inside the Central Police Station cell and was rushed to Mbagathi Referral Hospital for emergency treatment, CCTV footage points to a possible orchestrated effort to hide the truth. The footage shows that police took nearly half an hour to get Ojwang' out of the vehicle to the hospital's emergency room. The CCTV video that starts at 1:35am on June 8, shows a police vehicle arriving at Mbagathi hospital. Three officers disembark-but despite supposedly transporting a critically injured man, they exhibit no urgency. For a full 24 minutes, Ojwang remains unattended in the back of the police van. The three officers, seemingly hesitant and anxious, converse outside the hospital, making phone calls before casually walking into the facility. Despite getting a stretcher from the hospital at about 1:46am, the officers took ten minutes to wheel Ojwang into the emergency room. At 1:59am, the CCTV cameras capture the officers assisted by the hospital's security guard pushing Ojwang's motionless body into the emergency room. At exactly 2:00am, Ojwang's case was recorded at the hospital's Accident and Emergency room where the medics confirmed him dead. The statement from Mbagathi Hospital co-signed by two nurses, Irene Misiko and Justus Abok who were in charge that night, further stated that Ojwang's body was taken to the hospital at 2am on Sunday morning on June 8, 2025. "The above named male was brought in by police officer from Central Police Station unconscious and unresponsive. The accompanying officer stated that they suspected him to have sustained self-inflicted injuries while in their custody," reads the statement. On the examination, the nurses indicated that Ojwang's head and the face were swollen with blood oozing from the back of the head, mouth and eyes. "On examination, no signs of life were noted. No cardiac activity appeared to be notable. The Medical Officer on call assessed the male and confirmed it to be a corpse brought in dead," reads the statement further. CCTV footage captured the same officers exiting the emergency room at 2:10am. with the body, which was promptly returned to the police van. By 2:15 am, the vehicle left the hospital parking bay. According to medical personnel at the facility, once Ojwang was confirmed dead, a death notification form was duly filled and a copy issued to the officers. The officers were then advised to proceed with the body to make an official report at a nearby Police Station before transferring it to a mortuary of their choice. However, The Standard has now learned that no such report was made at the station. Instead, the officers proceeded directly to City Mortuary and curiously recorded "sudden death". Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, speaking during a church service in Malava, Kakamega County, corroborated the nurses' account: "By the time he was being taken to the hospital, his body was cold, he had been dead for hours," he said. "We cannot bring him back but all we want is justice to be served. There should be no any attempt for cover up... Let there be no sacred cow, justice must prevail." Even more alarming is that despite having been in contact with Ojwang's family, including his father, the officers failed to disclose any of his next-of-kin details to the hospital when they took him for 'emergency medical attention'. His age, phone number, or any emergency contact was not documented in their statement. At the Accident and Emergency desk, only Ojwang's name and sex were recorded. These fresh revelations and omissions have fueled growing suspicions that critical information may have been deliberately withheld or coordinated attempt to erase a paper trail that could expose wrongdoing. Accounts from the hospital have further cast doubt on the accuracy and consistency of the police reporting raising serious questions about the timeline and events that unfolded from the moment Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay to when he was declared dead in Nairobi. During his appearance before the Senate last week, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja stated that Ojwang was taken to Mbagathi Hospital at 1:29 am, a timeline that now faces scrutiny in light of conflicting hospital records and unexplained police actions. Notably, IG Kanja's account of the time Ojwang was taken to Mbagathi Hospital shifted once again to 1:39 a.m. when he appeared before the National Assembly's Security Committee. The inconsistences of the OB recording raise more questions. According to a friend of Ojwang who had earlier spoken to The Standard last week, Ojwang called him at 9.48 pm on Saturday when he arrived at Central Police Station. But he was not allowed to see him and by the time he was leaving the station at 10.35 pm, Ojwang had not been booked at the Occurrence Book (OB)as is the procedure. However, when they went back to the station on Sunday morning and insisted on getting the OB number, the OCS informed them that Ojwang was booked on Saturday at 9.05 pm. The submission by the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin contradicts that of Inspector General Douglas Kanja. While reports indicate that the arresting officers left Mawego Police Station with Ojwang at around 2pm, the DCI reported that he was officially booked out of the station at 4pm on June 7. Although both police chiefs claim that Ojwang was transported directly to Central Police Station in Nairobi, their accounts differ on when he was booked into the Occurrence Book. DCI Amin reported a booking time of 9:32pm while IG Kanja said the entry was made at 9:35 pm. Appearing before the Senate, the DCI Amin who adopted a defensive stance, dismissed reports that Ojwang was ever taken to DCI headquarters. Amin insisted the arrest was both lawful and legitimate, citing a complaint filed by Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat. "I can confirm, without any fear of contradiction, that from Homa Bay, the suspect was driven straight to Central Police Station, and nowhere else. And for this, we can technically confirm even the movement of the Subaru vehicle by using the GPS system," said Amin. "The actual booking, was done by the report office personnel that vied OB136762025 at 2132. And it says that the suspect was placed in cells while appearing normal, and that was captured digitally. So there's no room for human manipulation," said Amin. However, Amin also told the Senate that the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Central Police Station, identified as Samson Taalam, had initially declined to book Ojwang. "From the totality of things, he should be treated as a prime suspect in the matter," Amin asserted. This contradicts initial reports, which indicated that the OCS had refused to book Ojwang because he appeared critically ill upon arrival at the station pitting NPS officers against DCI officers. In their statements recorded with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) officers from Central Police Station including the OCS distanced themselves from the death of Ojwang in custody. The officers claimed Ojwang was already in critical condition when he was brought into the station, subtly shifting blame to their counterparts at the DCI, whom they appeared to suggest bore greater responsibility for the events leading to his death. However, the postmortem report presented by Dr Bernard Midia, who led a team of five pathologists, strongly contradicts the official version. "The cause of death is very clear; head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault."

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