NAIROBI, Kenya – A tearful requiem mass for slain teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang turned into a powerful indictment of police brutality, as family and mourners demanded justice for a life cut short in state custody.
“I wish the police had asked how many siblings he had before killing him,” said Eucabeth Adhiambo, Ojwang’s mother, her voice trembling with grief at Ridgeways Baptist Church in Nairobi on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old father, teacher, and outspoken voice on social media was arrested on June 7 in Homa Bay over an alleged defamatory post on his X account. Less than two days later, he was dead.
Police claimed he had injured himself while in custody and later died at Mbagathi Hospital. But a postmortem examination revealed something more sinister—signs of blunt-force trauma and assault, contradicting the official narrative.
His death has sent shockwaves across Kenya, fuelling anger over long-standing concerns of extrajudicial killings and police impunity.
At the emotional service, Ojwang’s wife, Nevnina Onyango, struggled to hold back tears as she described their final phone call.
His father, Meshack Opiyo, compared his son’s fate to the biblical story of Abel—slain not for wrongdoing, but out of cruelty.
“My son did not deserve to die this way,” Opiyo said. “He was a truth-teller, a peace-loving teacher. Now we are left with silence where his voice once was.”
Former Attorney General Justin Muturi, who attended the service, called out the government’s failure to tackle police abuses.
“We cannot keep turning a blind eye to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Albert’s death is not an isolated incident—it is part of a systemic failure,” said Muturi.
Six police officers, including Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Tallam of Central Police Station, have since been charged with Ojwang’s murder.
Born in Kakoth, Homa Bay County, Ojwang will be flown home on Thursday, July 3. He will be laid to rest on Friday, July 4, in Kokwanyo village.
His family, like many others before them, is now left searching for answers—and justice.
