Police Douglas Kanja, and DCI chief Mohamed Amin over the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody. The three had been summoned to explain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Chairperson Issack Hassan, who was also summoned, failed to appear.
Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and blogger based in Voi, was arrested on Saturday, 7 June, in Homa Bay over alleged defamatory statements directed at Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat. He was transferred to Nairobi’s Central Police Station, where he later died in his cell under unclear circumstances.
The Senate session, held on Wednesday, saw Murkomen and Kanja come under sharp scrutiny amid growing concerns over rising cases of police brutality across the country.
CS Murkomen described Ojwang’s death as “regrettable” and vowed to ensure justice is served.
“I will put every effort within my ministry to ensure that justice is served to this family and that those involved are punished severely, so this becomes an example that such acts should never occur within police custody,” he said.
“We will do everything within the ministry to ensure there is no interference, no shielding of any individual, and no cover-up.”
IG Kanja assured Senators that police would fully cooperate with IPOA’s investigation, which he said would be thorough and independent. He gave a timeline of Ojwang’s arrest, claiming the blogger was treated well during transport to Nairobi.
He also apologised for an earlier police statement that claimed Ojwang had died after banging his head on a wall, attributing it to preliminary information from officers at the scene.
The IPOA chairperson, Issack Hassan, did not appear before the Senate, prompting criticism from lawmakers. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua questioned IPOA’s commitment, saying:
“I will say this for the record — IPOA is the weakest link when it comes to investigating crimes committed by police officers. The absence of your chairman in a proceeding as important as this is just a testimony of how casually you do your work.”
Hassan was represented by IPOA Vice Chairperson Anne Wanjiku, who confirmed the names of five officers involved in Ojwang’s arrest: Sergeants Sigei and Wesley Korir, and Police Constables Dennis Kinyoni, Milton Mwanze, and Boniface Rapudo. She also revealed that CCTV cameras at the police station were switched off at the time of Ojwang’s death, raising further questions.
Senators also demanded to know why Deputy IG Eliud Lagat remains in office despite being a key figure in the case under investigation.
“Does DIG Lagat have to be in office? Would the whole police service crumble just because he steps aside?” asked Murang’a Senator Ngugi Nyutu. “DIG Lagat must step aside so that Kenyans can have faith in the investigations by IPOA and any other body.”
The Senate session was adjourned at 1:00 p.m., with lawmakers calling for continued scrutiny, noting that the issue of police brutality is a growing national concern.
– By Anthony Mwangi
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