NAIROBI, Kenya – The investigation into the death of Albert Ojwang has deepened, with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) now revealing glaring inconsistencies in police accounts and documentation tied to the incident.
Appearing before the National Assembly Security Committee on Thursday, DCI Director Amin Mohammed named five officers from the Serious Crimes Unit who booked Ojwang at Nairobi’s Central Police Station on the night of June 7.
He identified Police Constable Mohamed Rashid Abdullahi as the officer who filed the digital Occurrence Book (OB) entry at 9:32 pm.
According to the entry, Ojwang was arrested for alleged “false publication” and placed in a holding cell by PC Mokwana.
“Senior Sergeants Sigei and Kirui, PC Kinyoni, Mwanze, and Rapudo—all from the DCI headquarters Serious Crimes Unit—booked in a male suspect, namely Albert Ojwang,” Amin told the committee.
However, what followed has raised fresh questions. At 1:35 am on June 8, PC Abdullahi made another digital entry, stating that duty officer Inspector Ng’ang’a and cell sentry PC Kimani had conducted a routine check and found all detainees well—except Ojwang, who was alone in his cell, “making noise and kicking the walls.”
Just four minutes later, at 1:39 am, Ojwang was reportedly found unconscious.
He was taken to Mbagathi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead—though records conflict on whether he arrived already deceased.
One entry places the time of death at 1:39 am, while Amin said the hospital received him around 2:00 am.
The police had initially claimed Ojwang suffered fatal head injuries by repeatedly hitting his head against the cell wall.
But an autopsy conducted by government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia painted a different picture: Ojwang died from strangulation, had soft tissue injuries across his body, and severe trauma to the head and neck.
Further complicating the matter, sources at the station allege Ojwang was already bleeding and visibly injured at the time of booking—contradicting the DCI’s official position that he appeared “normal” when admitted.
Amin also confirmed that CCTV footage from the Officer Commanding Station’s (OCS) office at Central Police Station had been tampered with—an issue the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is now investigating.
Ojwang had been arrested after Deputy Inspector General Eliud Kipkoech Lagat filed a defamation complaint against him.
Protesters have since called for Lagat’s resignation, accusing the police of orchestrating a cover-up.
