An autopsy report into the death of X influencer Albert Ojwang’ has cast serious doubt on police accounts of his demise in custody, pointing instead to torture and strangulation, and raising fears of a cover-up by law enforcement officials.
The findings by government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia reveal extensive injuries inconsistent with claims that Ojwang inflicted harm on himself. “There were multiple soft tissue injuries spread all over the body and the trunk and lower limbs… these were injuries that were externally inflicted,” Midia told journalists after the postmortem conducted at Nairobi’s City Mortuary.
Ojwang’, a vocal online critic, was arrested on Saturday afternoon at his family home in Kakoth Village, Kabondo Kasipul Constituency, by men who identified themselves as police officers. His father, Opiyo, recounted how the arresting officers—including one named Sigei—said Albert had insulted a senior official on X, formerly Twitter. They refused to clarify the charges or provide legal documentation.
The arrest marked the beginning of a series of contradictions and inconsistencies from the police. On Sunday, police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga issued a statement claiming that Ojwang’ had died after hitting his head against the wall of his cell at Central Police Station. The following day, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja offered a different version, stating that Ojwang was found unconscious during a routine inspection and later pronounced dead at Mbagathi Hospital.
These shifting narratives were further discredited by accounts from a friend who spoke to Ojwang by phone after his arrest. The friend, who requested anonymity, said he received a call from Albert at 9:48 pm, hours after his arrest, and later visited the station, only to be denied access and told that Ojwang had not yet been booked into the Occurrence Book (OB). It was only on Sunday morning, after repeated demands, that police claimed he had been booked at 9:05 pm under OB number 136/7/6/2025—another discrepancy, as the time contradicted previous records.
To add to the confusion, Ojwang’s father was initially informed that his son’s body was taken to Mbagathi mortuary. Upon arrival, however, officials at the hospital said the body had never been admitted. It was only later that Opiyo found his son’s remains at the Nairobi Funeral Home, listed under “sudden death” in police reports.
What he saw there painted a gruesome picture. Ojwang’s face was swollen, blood seeped from his nose and mouth, and his arms bore clear marks of blunt trauma and possible restraint. “I have viewed his body and I am shocked because how I found him does not show anything similar to what the police explained to me,” a devastated Opiyo told journalists.
The signs of injury starkly contrasted with police claims that Ojwang had committed suicide. Instead, they appeared to confirm that he suffered brutal treatment while in custody, potentially at the hands of police or fellow detainees.
As outrage grows over his death, Ojwang’s case has become a flashpoint in a country where allegations of police brutality, deaths in custody, and impunity are increasingly drawing public condemnation. For his family, the pursuit of justice is only beginning.
Standing outside the mortuary, clutching his late son’s belongings, Opiyo vowed not to be silenced. “My son did not deserve to die like this. We want answers. We want justice.”
