The father of the late Albert Ojwang has filed a compelling affidavit before the High Court, seeking orders to compel the arrest and prosecution of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Eliud Lagat, whom he accuses of orchestrating his son’s abduction, torture, and eventual death while in police custody.
In the replying affidavit, filed in support of a petition dated June 24, 2025, Meshack Ojwang narrates what he describes as a “state-sanctioned cover-up” engineered to shield a senior police commander from accountability.
Ojwang identifies himself as the biological father of the deceased and describes Albert as a “law-abiding Kenyan citizen and a young man with a promising future whose life was brutally cut short while in the custody of the Kenya Police Service.”
Arrest and Secret Detention
According to the affidavit, Albert Ojwang was arrested on June 7, 2025, at the family’s rural home by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers allegedly acting under direct instructions from DIG Lagat.
Ojwang says the arresting officers claimed Albert had circulated information linking the DIG to corruption within the police service. After frantic inquiries, the family received information indicating that Albert was being held secretly at Central Police Station, Nairobi.
The affidavit alleges that while in detention, Albert was subjected to “torture, humiliation, and severe beatings” on the orders of the senior police boss.
Disputed Cause of Death
Albert died in custody shortly after. Police leadership initially announced that he had taken his own life by repeatedly banging his head against the wall of his cell.
Ojwang rejects that explanation and instead cites a post-mortem report which he says “completely ruled out suicide and confirmed that his death was due to injuries consistent with torture and strangulation.”
He argues that despite the damning findings, no action was taken against DIG Lagat. Instead, lower-ranking officers were charged in Kibera in High Court Criminal Case No. E010 of 2025.
Alleged Cover-Up
Ojwang terms the prosecution of junior officers “a deliberate cover-up designed to shield DIG Eliud Lagat from accountability,” stating that those charged were merely following orders from their superior.
He further references Senate proceedings in which DCI leadership allegedly affirmed that Lagat remained the prime suspect in the death — a detail he says confirms that the senior officer was never formally cleared.
“As a grieving father, I am deeply troubled that the prosecution appears to shield DIG Eliud Lagat by shifting the entire blame onto the officers that were acting on his instructions and command,” he says in the affidavit.
Relief Sought from the High Court
Ojwang is now asking the High Court to halt the ongoing criminal proceedings against the junior officers until Lagat is arrested and charged.
“Justice for my son will not be realized unless DIG Eliud Kipkoech Lagat is charged and prosecuted as the lead suspect in this matter,” he states.
He argues that failure to act against the senior police chief would amount to “a miscarriage of justice and a denial of closure” for his family.
The petition is expected to set the stage for a significant legal battle touching on police accountability, command responsibility, and the handling of deaths in custody.
