NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Chief Justice David Maraga has thrown down the legal gauntlet, demanding the immediate arrest of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, his deputy Eliud Lagat, and DCI boss Mohammed Amin over the chilling death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang.
In a fiery press briefing on Monday, June 16, Maraga issued an ultimatum: arrest the top cops by June 25—or brace for private prosecution led by himself and fellow concerned Kenyans.
The former CJ didn’t mince words. Accusing the three senior police officials of perjury and complicity, Maraga claimed they provided false sworn affidavits about Ojwang’s arrest, torture, and death.
The contradictions, he said, between their statements and other police accounts are glaring—and damning.
“There is prima facie evidence that DIG Lagat, either personally or through accomplices, is implicated in the illegal arrest, torture, strangulation, and eventual murder of Albert Ojwang,” Maraga told journalists. “Yet, he remains in office. Why?”
The late Ojwang, who was arrested over allegations of false publication, died under mysterious circumstances in police custody on June 7—a death that has sparked nationwide outrage and drawn fierce criticism of the police service.
Maraga, now emerging as a leading voice in the call for accountability, slammed the culture of impunity that he says has allowed extrajudicial killings to fester within Kenya’s security institutions.
“This isn’t just about Albert,” he said. “It’s about justice. It’s about truth. It’s about ending a terrifying trend where officers sworn to protect life are instead becoming architects of death.”
The former CJ’s remarks came just hours after reports surfaced of missing CCTV footage from the Central Police Station—the very station where Ojwang is believed to have taken his last breath.
IPOA is currently investigating the matter and is expected to forward its findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions this week.
In a rare but powerful move, he’s mobilizing legal action from the outside—an independent push for prosecution if the state stalls.
His call for the arrest of Kenya’s top cops may be unprecedented, but to many Kenyans grappling with grief and distrust, it’s long overdue.
