Terrible Father's Day for Ojwang's father, son

Meshack Ojwang, the father of the late Albert Ojwang, blogger who died in police custody at Central Police Station, Nairobi. June 8, 2025. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard] 

“Will I be safe?” This was the haunting question that plagued Albert Ojwang from the moment he was taken from his home village in Kakelo, Kabondo Kasipul. We all learned that he wasn’t.

Today, on Father’s Day, a father is still grappling with the brutal demise of his only son. Every time I try to re-enact that scene in my mind, I’m momentarily breathless.

As a father, this is the worst kind of experience imaginable. One minute, you’re sharing precious moments with your loved one; the next, you’re desperately trying to piece together the truth from an avalanche of lies.

Picture this: You’re seated under your avocado tree, shaking off the heavy dirt from your morning’s work in the shamba. A few metres away is your only son, a man who fills you with immense pride. You raised him well, despite the challenges. He’s a graduate and has just brought his fiancée home for your blessing.

He’s finally found direction in his life after securing government employment and is eager to make up for lost time. Bricks sit somewhere in the compound, a tangible sign of his grand dreams for the family. What a wise son!

You don’t even know Father’s Day exists, and that in just a week, your son will be gone, unable to celebrate you, all because a state officer with an inflated ego and overzealous subordinates acted with impunity.

People drive into your compound, claiming your son has questions to answer. You’re scared, but you cooperate, trusting in the law. You rummage through your documents, clutching the only wealth you can prove: your title deed. You’re ready to give everything for your son’s freedom.

Nowhere in your mind do you anticipate the tragic scenes that will unfold in just hours – scenes that will shock the country. That as you stopped over for a piss at Narok someone is squeezing the last breath from your only son.

This horrific event occurred just a week after Kenya marked its 62nd Madaraka Day. Those who fought for this country envisioned a nation of freedoms, rights, and the rule of law.

Even Hezekiah Ochuka, the last person to be executed in Kenya, was afforded due process. Our prisons house the worst thieves and murderers, all of whom were arrested and processed through legal channels.

So, what did Ojwang do that could not wait until Monday? Who are these officers seeking to tarnish the police service, and on whose authority were they operating?

Did they ever consider young Miles, who has lost a father, or Nevnine, the wife? What about Meshack Opiyo and Eucabeth, who toiled their entire lives in Malindi just to raise their boy? Did they even think about Ojwang himself and his dreams?

I am shattered, and all Kenyans are. As a father, it is heart-rending, and as a Kenyan, quite agonizing. As we advocate for justice for Albert Ojwang, never again should we allow our conscience as a country to be shattered this much.