NAIROBI, Kenya – Constitutional lawyer Willis Otieno has sparked debate after questioning the legal grounds on which slain influencer Albert Otieno Ojwang was arrested.
“Why was Albert Ojwang arrested over a civil matter, a social media post? Under what law?” posed Otieno.
Taking to his official X account, the city lawyer also questioned who authorised his transfer from Homa Bay to Nairobi, over 300km away.
“Are there no police stations in Homa Bay? Why was he placed in a cell alone? Who signed off on that? Are there no working CCTV cameras in the station? Where is the footage? If none, who disabled them or failed to maintain them?” Otieno further questioned.
Why City Lawyer Willis Otieno is not buying the NPS statement
If he ‘hit his head,’ the lawyer wondered why the police officers involved in the case had been interdicted.
“Why not treat it as an unfortunate accident? They know it was no accident,” said the lawyer while at the same time questioning why Ojwang’s family was not immediately informed about his death. Why the delayed release of information?” he stated.
Otieno, the Safina Party deputy leader, also wondered why the initial statements were inconsistent.
“First, ‘he hit his head’; now, ‘found unconscious’? Why can’t the police tell one story? Who will be personally held accountable? Who gave the orders? Who is protecting them?” Otieno angrily posed.
Earlier, outspoken Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili Owino, also known as Babu Owino, added his voice on the circumstances surrounding the mysterious death of the social media influencer.
In a lengthy post shared on his official X account on Monday, June 9, 2025, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party lawmaker pointed an accusing finger at the National Police Service (NPS) following the brutal death of the youthful social media user.
Babu Owino, who was recently admitted to the bar as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, said the Kenyan Constitution and our Criminal Justice System have a framework for dealing with any offence.
How Babu Owino reacted to the death of Albert Otieno Ojwang’
According to the youthful lawmaker, there is no offence in Kenya punishable by extrajudicial killing as witnessed in recent days by state security institutions.
“The police are the providers of security to Kenyans and should not be condoned as the biggest source of insecurity and danger to young people,” said Babu Owino.
Among the issues that Babu Owino wants the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to address is to state the specific publication Ojwang’ made and what criminal offence it amounted to.
Babu Owino also questioned why the slain influencer, who doubles as a teacher, was transferred from Homa Bay home to Nairobi following his arrest.
“Homa Bay has police stations and courts with competent jurisdiction. Why was it necessary to transport Albert Ojwang more than 400 km away from his home after arrest?” posed Babu Owino while also questioning the nature of the injury Ojwang’ inflicted on himself that led to his death.”
