KENYA :Inspector General Suspends Officers Following Death Of Albert Ojwang’ At Central Police Station

By Lisbeth Micheni, Kenya

The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, has suspended all officers who were on duty at the Central Police Station at the time of Albert Ojwang’s death on Sunday.

This decision was announced in a statement released on Monday by the National Police Service (NPS), which indicated that the suspension aims to facilitate an unbiased investigation by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).

The Inspector General’s order includes the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), the Duty Officer present during the incident, the Cell Sentry on watch at that moment, and all other officers who were working at the Report Office that night, along with any other individuals deemed involved in the case.

According to police sources, this action is intended to ensure a “comprehensive, fair, and speedy investigation” conducted by IPOA.

Ojwang’ reportedly passed away at the Central Police Station in Nairobi after being apprehended at his residence in Kakot, Homa Bay County, the previous Saturday afternoon.

Authorities had detained him under suspicion of an online post made on the social media platform X.

Upon following up on the case at the police station, his family discovered that he had died. A lawyer representing the family shared with reporters, “We were waiting for his court appearance on Monday to continue addressing the case, but I received news from his father today that his son was deceased. This is deeply unfortunate.”

The police informed the family that Albert’s body had been transferred to City Mortuary.