Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial

 

Meshack Ojwang said, "My son died like an animal," before breaking down in front of journalists outside the Central Police Station in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. On Saturday, June 7, 2025, while he and his wife Nevnina Onyango were having lunch, his only son Albert Ojwang was taken into custody in their village of Kakoth, close to the western town of Homa Bay. One of the five arresting officers told the family he was accused of insulting a police boss on social media.

 Ms. Onyango stated to the BBC, "We asked the police if he was going to be safe, because we had heard stories of some people being abducted." "They promised us, even before they gave us their numbers," Mr. Ojwang was permitted to call his wife when he was booked into the Central Police Station around 21:30 on Saturday night. "He said, "As much as I'm stressed, don't worry that much" when we talked. I'll see you soon.'  She stated, "I believe those were his final words. But his father was concerned and decided to follow his son, making the 350km (220 miles) journey to Nairobi - carrying the family's land title deed as security in case it was needed to pay bail.

 He says he arrived early on the Sunday morning at the station, and after being kept waiting for several hours, was eventually told that his son had died from self-inflicted wounds.

 "He was bleeding from the nose and had a bruised torso and face," he said, standing next to his attorney in disbelief. He was also shirtless, but this is not how I handed him over to the police on Saturday."

His candid interview in heartfelt Swahili and his refusal to stay silent touched Kenyans and the hashtag #JusticeForAlbertOjwang immediately began trending, with calls for an investigation.

 Kenya has a history of police brutality, but the subsequent revelations have stunned the nation - not only the details about the death in police custody of the trained teacher turned blogger, but the ensuing allegations of police lies and subterfuge.

 Even the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the minister of internal affairs, and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) were summoned to Parliament for questioning. The 31-year-old bachelor's degree holder could not have died in such horrific circumstances, which is hard to comprehend. It is evident that his father, who formerly worked in a quarry in south-eastern Kenya, was pleased with his son's academic success coming from such humble beginnings. David Bwakali, a former teaching colleague at Kituma Secondary School, told Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, "He could never hurt anyone, either physically or online." Albert Ojwang, a passionate Manchester United football fan, had taught religious studies, history and rugby at the school in the town of Mwatate in south-eastern Kenya.

 He was only there for a couple of terms last year as he had not been employed on a government contract but privately through the school's management board.

 He had just graduated from Pwani University, so this is common for new teachers, and such arrangements typically do not pay well. Mr. Bwakali stated that his friend had recently communicated with him to discuss his plans to obtain a government teaching position. And it was an exciting time for Mr Ojwang, who lived in the coastal town of Malindi, as he and his 26-year-old wife had gone back to his rural Homa Bay home for a long visit so she could be properly introduced to his family.

 They had arrived in April and were getting married in accordance with Luo customs. Renovating his "simba," or bachelor pad on his father's homestead, into a home suitable for the couple and their three-year-old son George was one of these customs. He was assisting his parents by working on the family's two-acre farm, and he and his wife were planning for their future in light of Ms. Onyango's upcoming graduation as a health worker. As a digital content creator, Mr. Ojwang also tried to make money and was a part of a group of young people who posted political and social issues on social media. His death was caused by this.

Since his account was deleted following his arrest, it is unclear how many followers he had on X. However, fellow influencers claimed that he had a substantial online presence and frequently participated in social media campaigns. He used a pseudonym - something that is not unusual with Kenyans online given recent crackdowns on youth dissent.

 Activists have linked his death to a broader trend of police impunity, citing the unresolved deaths of more than 60 young people during last year's anti-tax protests.

 "Ojwang's death is not an isolated incident but a chilling reminder of the institutionalised impunity and rogue behaviour within the National Police Service (NPS)," Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) director and renowned human rights defender, Khelef Khalifa, told local media.

 The investigation into Albert Ojwang's case, on the other hand, has been extremely swift and thorough, which is unusual. In addition, two days of the televised parliamentary hearings have meant that Kenyans have heard for themselves the disturbing details that led to his death.

 An earlier police statement that stated Mr. Ojwang was found unconscious in his cell and rushed to the hospital, where he died of head injuries sustained after hitting his own head against a wall, had to be retracted by police chief Douglas Kanja when he appeared before the parliament on Wednesday. The blogger could not have committed suicide based on the results of the post-mortem and the IPOA's unusually quick investigation. The police chief apologised and blamed the error on "misinformation" from his juniors.

 He went on to say that the arrest of Mr Ojwang had stemmed from defamatory online posts targeting his deputy, Eliud Lagat - who has since stepped aside.  Mr. Lagat stated that he was doing so with "good and conscious thought" of his duties as deputy police chief and that he would lend his assistance to the blogger's death investigation. According to Mr Kanja's statement to parliament, the posts on X had alleged Mr Lagat was running corrupt operations in the police by placing trusted officers in specific departments and traffic shifts to "control both revenue streams and intelligence flow".

 Mr Kanja's statement detailed various posts including one that claimed Mr Lagat was under investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) along with his photo and the phrase "Mafia Cop".

 According to the police chief's parliamentary statement, Mr Lagat had submitted a complaint to the DCI on 4 June about the posts.  The police proceeded with what was considered a "serious case" under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act the following day after the EACC confirmed that Mr. Lagat was not the subject of an investigation. Mr Kanja said the Communications Authority was contacted about two accounts linked to the posts.  On June 5, it resulted in the arrest of a man who admitted that he and four other people were involved in the campaign, one of whom was Albert Ojwang. Two days later, the police had tracked Mr Ojwang down to his home village in western Kenya.

Anne Wanjiku, IPOA Vice Chair, gave some shocking details about Mr. Ojwang's final hours in her testimony. She said two witnesses, who were in a neighbouring cell, told the IPOA that they had heard loud screams on the night he died.

 IPOA investigators claim that a technician was paid $30 (£22) to disconnect the CCTV in the station.

 Two police officers were taken into custody in connection with Mr. Ojwang's death following the conclusion of the parliamentary hearings. The IPOA, which is bringing the case, said junior officer PC James Mukhwana had told investigators the intention had been to "discipline" Mr Ojwang, not kill him.

 He said the officer in charge of the station, Samson Talam, had been contacted by Mr Lagat with the order and had given the constable $15 to pay two inmates to beat up Mr Ojwang.

 Mr Talam, through his lawyers, has denied the allegation and Mr Lagat has not commented.

 Under Kenyan law, individuals in police custody are entitled to specific protections, including the right to legal representation and communication with advocates or support persons.

 The Ojwang family is still having trouble coping with their loss. Ms. Onyango told the BBC, "I had not believed it until I saw his body in the morgue." The body showed signs of torture. It was like "things that we just see in movies… I've never seen such a body.  She stated, "It was so heartbreaking." President William Ruto, who pledged to end Kenya's history of police brutality and extrajudicial deaths when he came into power in 2022, has spoken out about his shock, saying: "This tragic occurrence, at the hands of police, is heart-breaking and unacceptable."

 In order to facilitate a "swift, transparent, and credible investigation," he urged the police to fully cooperate. He continued, "I fully expect that the truth will be established about what happened to Ojwang in due course and that justice will be served."

It is as if our constitution only is there like a newspaper to be read, and tomorrow we forget about it"

Meshack Ojwang
Albert Ojwang's father

Anne Wanjiku, IPOA Vice Chair, gave some shocking details about Mr. Ojwang's final hours in her testimony. She said two witnesses, who were in a neighbouring cell, told the IPOA that they had heard loud screams on the night he died.

 IPOA investigators claim that a technician was paid $30 (£22) to disconnect the CCTV in the station.

 Two police officers were taken into custody in connection with Mr. Ojwang's death following the conclusion of the parliamentary hearings. The IPOA, which is bringing the case, said junior officer PC James Mukhwana had told investigators the intention had been to "discipline" Mr Ojwang, not kill him.

 He said the officer in charge of the station, Samson Talam, had been contacted by Mr Lagat with the order and had given the constable $15 to pay two inmates to beat up Mr Ojwang.

 Mr Talam, through his lawyers, has denied the allegation and Mr Lagat has not commented.

 Under Kenyan law, individuals in police custody are entitled to specific protections, including the right to legal representation and communication with advocates or support persons.

 The Ojwang family is still having trouble coping with their loss. Ms. Onyango told the BBC, "I had not believed it until I saw his body in the morgue." The body showed signs of torture. It was like "things that we just see in movies… I've never seen such a body.  She stated, "It was so heartbreaking." The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) reports that nearly 160 cases of suspected extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances were reported across Kenya last year, despite President William Ruto's pledge to end Kenya's history of police brutality and extrajudicial deaths. IPOA chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan told MPs when he was questioned on Thursday that at least 20 people had died while held by police in the past four months alone.

 Mr. Ojwang's father told the BBC, "It is as if our constitution only is there like a newspaper to be read, and tomorrow we forget about it." Grief has overwhelmed Mr Ojwang's widow: "I don't know what will happen next, because that one person that was my best friend… he's not there.  So, I feel like my world is so small and it's dark."

 Ms. Onyango, like her father-in-law, however, believes that the protest-sparked case could be a turning point. "I think Albert's death should be a wake-up call for us because it has shown us some of the things that are going on in the cells that we might not be aware of. "I really want to talk to my fellow Kenyans to stand on our feet and try and talk about this matter, so that everybody can be accountable."me into power in 2022, has spoken out about his shock, saying: "This tragic occurrence, at the hands of police, is heart-breaking and unacceptable."

 In order to facilitate a "swift, transparent, and credible investigation," he urged the police to fully cooperate. He continued, "I fully expect that the truth will be established about what happened to Ojwang in due course and that justice will be served."