NAIROBI, Kenya – Allegations have emerged that the social media accounts of Albert Ojwang were pulled down and surveillance footage at Central Police Station erased—deepening public suspicion over the circumstances of his death in police custody.
The claims were made Tuesday outside the Nairobi Funeral Home, shortly after a postmortem revealed that Ojwang, a teacher and blogger, died from multiple injuries consistent with assault.
He had been arrested on Friday and was dead within hours of being booked at Central Police Station.
Activist Fred Ogola, addressing the media after the delayed autopsy, accused state agents of interfering with digital and video evidence that could shed light on Ojwang’s final hours.
“They pulled down Ojwang’s social media — Twitter, Facebook, everything. The state has taken control of it. They must tell us why,” Ogola said.
He further alleged that attempts to access CCTV footage from the police station had been stonewalled.
“We are being told the CCTV at Central Police wasn’t working. Actually, they were deleted,” he claimed. “We are telling IPOA to get us the footage at all costs because we can’t negotiate about that.”
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has yet to issue a public statement in response.
Ojwang, a resident of Voi, had travelled to his family home in Homa Bay last week before being arrested in what has been described as a swift, late-night operation.
He was brought to Nairobi and booked under charges related to “false publication,” but died in custody just hours later.
According to Ogola, the contrast between the rapid arrest and the delays around the postmortem reflects how the state prioritizes different lives.
“When MPs die, things are done with speed and precision. But for common people like us, it takes too long,” he said. “You have to know where you belong — you are not part of their priority.”
Hospital account under scrutiny
Ogola also cast doubt on the official explanation surrounding Ojwang’s time of death, questioning how Mbagathi Hospital reportedly declared him dead on arrival without a proper admission.
“If Mbagathi didn’t receive him, how did they declare him dead on arrival? There are one million questions,” he said.
Ojwang’s final hours remain a point of contention. Ogola says the activist was alive when he was taken from his mother’s home.
By 9:30 a.m., he was reportedly in distress; by 1:20 p.m., he was dead.
Call for unity and justice
Amid rising tension, Ogola urged Kenyans to resist framing the case through ethnic lenses.
“Ojwang is a Kenyan. Losing a Kenyan is as painful as losing a Luo, Kisii, Kikuyu or Kalenjin,” he said. “Let’s not bring tribal cards into this.”
He called on members of the public with information to come forward, saying Ojwang’s death could become a rallying point for accountability and police reform.
“If we allow this to pass quietly, it will happen again. Let this be the last.”
