The suspicious death of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody has sparked public outrage and renewed fears about growing state surveillance and repression in Kenya. Ojwang was arrested on Saturday, June 8, in Homa Bay by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), allegedly over false publication linked to an X (formerly Twitter) post.
Ojwang, who lived in Kakoth Village, Kabondo Kasipul Constituency, was transferred to Nairobi the same day and booked at Central Police Station, where he died under unclear circumstances that police have termed a suicide. However, glaring inconsistencies in police records, timelines, and the physical condition of his body have prompted widespread calls for an independent investigation.
A Harrowing Arrest at Lunchtime
Speaking to reporters, Ojwang’s father, Meshack Ojwang Opiyo, recounted the moment plainclothes officers descended on their rural home as they were having lunch. Two motorcycles approached from different directions, each carrying two men who identified themselves as officers. One of them introduced himself as “Sigei.”
“They told my son to put down his food and said he was under arrest. When I asked what he was accused of, they said he had insulted their boss on Twitter. I asked which boss, and Sigei told me to stop asking too many questions,” Opiyo said.
Ojwang was initially taken to Mawego Police Station, then to DCI headquarters in Nairobi, and finally held at Central Police Station. His father followed him to Mawego and was told to make his way to Nairobi.
“Tell Them Not to Deny Me Air”
While en route to Nairobi, Opiyo briefly spoke with his son, who pleaded with officers not to put him in a stressful situation due to his asthma. “He asked me to tell the police not to place him in a situation where he couldn’t breathe,” said Opiyo.
But that was the last he heard from his son.
Shock at the Station
The next morning, Opiyo arrived at Central Police Station hoping to see his son, unaware that he had already died the previous night. Officers told him to come back later, and when he returned at 10:10 am, he was escorted to the OCS’s office and later the sub-county police commander’s office, where he was informed that his son had committed suicide by repeatedly banging his head on the wall in an isolation cell.
“I was told he died from head injuries after hitting himself against the wall. But when I viewed the body, his face was swollen, he had blood coming out of his nose and mouth, and bruises on his arm. That is not a suicide,” said Opiyo.
Contradictions in Police Timeline
The inconsistencies in the official account raise red flags. According to a friend who visited the station that night, Ojwang had called him at 9:48 pm to say he had arrived at the station, but had not yet been booked. The friend left at 10:35 pm with no OB (Occurrence Book) number recorded.
Yet on Sunday morning, the OCS claimed Ojwang had been booked at 9:05 pm—over 40 minutes before his last known call. “This makes no sense,” said the friend, who requested anonymity.
Furthermore, while police initially told Opiyo that his son’s body was at Mbagathi Mortuary, it was later discovered at the Nairobi Funeral Home (formerly City Mortuary). At the mortuary, the cause of death was listed as “sudden death,” in direct contradiction to the police narrative of suicide.
A Life Cut Short
Ojwang was a qualified teacher, recently married, and a father of a two-and-a-half-year-old child. “He was my only child,” Opiyo said tearfully. “I worked in a quarry for 20 years to put him through university. I want justice. I want to know why he was killed like that.”
Digital Crackdown
Ojwang was reportedly one of four administrators of an X account belonging to Kelvin Moinde, who was also arrested days earlier in Kisii over the same alleged defamation. Moinde is currently being held at Kamukunji Police Station.
The arrests mark a disturbing trend in Kenya, where online users are increasingly being targeted by law enforcement over social media posts critical of powerful figures. Just a week before, software developer Rose Njeri was also arrested in similar circumstances.
Official Response
Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyagah issued a statement claiming Ojwang was lawfully arrested and sustained fatal head injuries after hitting a wall in his cell. He added that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) had launched an investigation.
However, Ojwang’s father remains unconvinced: “Why would someone knock their head against a wall until they die? Wouldn’t they stop once it hurt too much? I don’t believe their story. I want justice for my son.”
