The shameless top cops

The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja briefing the press following Albert Omondi Ojwang's death in police custody at Central Police station, Nairobi. June 9, 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

As 23 people had recorded statements with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) by last Friday, the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher, husband, and outspoken blogger, has erupted into a national scandal.

The investigations are uncovering a troubling web of alleged police brutality, political interference, and institutional cover-ups.

With arrests beginning over Ojwang’s death in police custody, Kenyans are now asking where the six officers who arrested him are. Among them are Sgt Sigei (the only name publicly revealed), Sgt Wesley Kipkorir Kirui, Constables Dennis Kinyoni, Milton Mwanze, Boniface Rabudo, and a sixth officer whose identity IPOA has yet to disclose.

Many Kenyans suspect these officers are persons of interest, alongside Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, who has been accused of providing false information. Other names implicated include Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, who ironically is the complainant in the case, Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Talam and Deputy OCS Samuel Ng’ang’a, within whose jurisdiction Ojwang died.

Additional figures under scrutiny include James Mukhwana of the Central Police Station, Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Stephen Okal, ICT expert Kevin Mutisya, and police spokesperson Muchiri Nyagah. Many Kenyans believe these individuals may hold crucial information about the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death.

“By last Friday, 23 statements had been taken, and it is clear that some witnesses require maximum protection,” an IPOA official told The Standard.

What began as a defamation complaint filed by Deputy Inspector General Eliud Kipkoech Lagat on June 4, has since escalated into a full homicide investigation, one now threatening to shake the very foundations of Kenya’s law enforcement.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin and Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja. [File, Standard]

The case has exposed glaring contradictions in official accounts and thrust into the spotlight a grieving young widow and her one-month-old child, now caught in the midst of a national reckoning.

Ojwang’s final hours paint a disturbing picture. According to his father, Meshack Opiyo, Albert was at home in Kokwanyo, Homa Bay County, having lunch when six DCI officers arrived. “He hadn’t even finished his meal. That was the last time we saw him,” Opiyo recalled.

The officers were acting on a defamation complaint filed by DIG Lagat over Ojwang’s social media posts. After a brief stop at Mawego Police Station, he was secretly transported to Nairobi. His whereabouts remained unknown until 9:24pm, when he called his wife from Central Police Station.

At 9:40pm, friends were told he was in custody but denied access. At 1:35am, CCTV at Mbagathi Hospital captured officers wheeling in his lifeless body. Oddly, police logged him as “alive” at 2:35am, only marking him dead at 3:45am, a five-hour gap raising questions about torture and evidence tampering.

Initially, police spokesperson Muchiri Nyagah claimed Ojwang died by suicide, allegedly after hitting his head against a cell wall. However, this theory was quickly disproved. A postmortem conducted by government pathologists found signs of blunt force trauma and strangulation, injuries inconsistent with suicide. IPOA has ruled out self-harm and launched a formal probe.

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, who had backed the suicide claim, later retracted it during Senate proceedings. “I tender my apology on behalf of the National Police Service for that information,” Kanja said, though notably he stopped short of taking personal responsibility.

Attention has now turned to a host of senior officials believed to be complicit. These include DIG Lagat, Central Police Station OCS Benjamin Talam, Deputy OCS Samuel Ng’ang’a, the six DCI officers who arrested Ojwang, Police Constable Mukhwana, the Central OCPD, an IPOA official, police spokesperson Nyagah, and ICT technician Kevin Mutisya, suspected of deleting CCTV footage.

DCI boss Mohamed Amin identified OCS Talam as the prime suspect. “From the totality of evidence, he should be treated as the prime suspect,” Amin told the Senate.

Talam has since been suspended, but there is evident resistance within the force. “Ojwang arrived here bleeding, yet the OCS refused to book him. We don’t understand why the DCI boss wants to protect the OCS,” said a police officer speaking anonymously.

PC Mukhwana is also under scrutiny, suspected of leading the assault on Ojwang and coordinating the destruction of surveillance equipment. An IPOA technical officer is accused of assisting in erasing footage, calling into question the very independence of the oversight agency.

Meanwhile, DIG Lagat has remained silent, making no public statements since June 9. Civil society groups and lawmakers have demanded his suspension to avoid interference with the ongoing investigation. The timeline discrepancies are damning. Why did it take five hours to acknowledge Ojwang’s detention? Why was he listed as “alive” long after his death? Why was the public initially told his body was at Mbagathi Hospital when it was later found at City Mortuary?

Protests erupted nationwide as outrage grew; alleged hired thugs infiltrated rallies to undermine calls for justice. Governance analyst Albert Kasembeli warned that the case will define the integrity of Kenya’s justice system. “This is not just about one man’s death. It’s about whether the State can kill citizens with impunity,” he said. 

Former Law Society of Kenya chair Nelson Havi insists accountability must go beyond mere apologies. “Lagat must be arrested and charged with murder. This will send a message that power comes with responsibility,” he said.

Calls are growing for a public inquest and international monitoring. Human rights groups insist the case must not be handled solely by state institutions. The family agrees.

“This cannot be swept under the rug. My son will never speak again. But we will speak for him,” Ojwang’s father declared.