Second officer arrested over Kenya custody death

Nairobi Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam arrested over murder of Albert Ojwang in custody. 

A second officer has been arrested in connection with the death of a teacher in custody in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the police watchdog said Friday, a case that has sparked nationwide outrage.

Albert Ojwang, 31, died in custody last weekend after being arrested for criticising a senior officer online.

Police initially said Ojwang had fatally injured himself by banging his head against a wall, but a government pathologist later found the wounds were "unlikely to be self-inflicted".

His death has reignited anger over a wave of abductions and heavy-handed policing during anti-government protests last year.

Protesters marched on parliament on Thursday, some throwing stones and police firing tear gas.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) watchdog said in a statement that Samson Talaam, the head of the central Nairobi police station where the incident occurred, had been arrested along with an unnamed civilian.

A police official confirmed to AFP that Talaam had been arrested in the western city of Eldoret.

Another officer from the same Nairobi station, Constable James Mukhwana, appeared in court earlier in a case under the charge of the IPOA.

The watchdog asked for three weeks to complete its investigation, telling the court Mukhwana was present on the night Ojwang was processed by officers.

Earlier in the week, police spokesman Michael Muchiri said five officers had been removed from active duty, to "allow for transparent investigations".

President William Ruto has called for a swift investigation, and promised on Friday that the government would "protect citizens from rogue police officers".

The IPOA recently reported 18 people had died in police custody in the past four months.

Protesters have called for the resignation of Deputy Inspector-General Eliud Kipkoech Lagat -- the officer Ojwang was accused of criticising.

Rights groups say dozens of people were illegally detained in the aftermath of last year's rallies, with many still missing, and others have been arrested for criticism of Ruto and the government.