A key prosecution witness in the murder trial over the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang has died before he could testify in court, police have confirmed.
Corporal Stephen Maina Nderitu, a police officer attached to the Office of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Nairobi’s Central Police Station at the time of Ojwang’s death, collapsed at his home in Nairobi on Monday, September 7, hours after leaving work, and was later pronounced dead.
A post-mortem examination identified acute ulcers, cardiac arrest and depression among the findings cited in relation to his death. His family has said they are satisfied with the report’s findings. His burial has been scheduled for Friday, September 18.
Nderitu had recorded a statement with investigators on May 18, 2025, which officials said contained sensitive details concerning the chain of accountability in the case.
He had been expected, according to officials, to give evidence in the coming weeks concerning events at the station on the night of Ojwang’s death, including the handling of CCTV footage. Despite his death, officials said they intend to apply for his recorded statement to be admitted as evidence in the ongoing trial.
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Ojwang, 31, was arrested on June 7, 2025 at Lida Centre in Homa Bay County over allegations that he had published false information online about Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat and was transported hundreds of kilometres to Nairobi before being detained at Central Police Station.
He was found unresponsive in his cell the following day and pronounced dead on arrival at Mbagathi Hospital on June 8, 2025. The prosecution has told the court that Ojwang was assaulted while in custody and has alleged that CCTV footage from the station was subsequently deleted.
A separate witness, a CCTV technician, testified that footage from the relevant period could no longer be recovered after the recorder was formatted.
Following investigations led by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), six people were charged with murder in connection with Ojwang’s death: former Central Police Station OCS Samson Kiprotich Talaam, police officers James Mukhwana and Peter Kimani, and civilians John Ngige Gitau, Gin Ammitou Abwao and Brian Mwaniki Njue.
All six have pleaded not guilty, and the prosecution’s case remains ongoing before the High Court, with the hearing set to continue in December 2026.
IPOA had lined up 28 witnesses for the trial in total, with six other witnesses subsequently provided with enhanced protection after prosecutors warned of a significant risk of interference.
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