Police Constable Mukhwana links DIG of Police Lagat, OCS Talaam to Albert Ojwang’s death

A fresh statement issued by Police Constable James Mukhwana has ignited new controversy in the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, with the officer claiming he was acting on direct orders from senior police officials, including Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat.

Mukhwana made the claims in a sworn statement recorded with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on Friday last week.

He accused DIG of Police Lagat of issuing the order that led to Ojwang's torture and death. He also claimed that Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam instructed him to enforce the directive. This is despite both Lagat and Taalam distancing themselves from the incident.

Mukhwana says he was summoned to OCS Talaam's office by Central deputy OCS, Samuel Ng'ang'a, at around 7:30 pm on the night of the incident, June 7.

At the office, Talaam reportedly told him, "kuna maelezo kutoka kwa DIG Lagat...DCI wanaleta mtu saa mbili usiku. Uende cell, uangalie wale wamekaa remand uwaambie kuna kazi nataka wafanye kuna mahabusu analetwa wamshugulikie kidogo," loosely translated as "there are instructions from DIG Lagat... the DCI will bring someone at 8:00 pm. Go to the cell and pick inmates to rough him up a bit."

Talaam reportedly gave Mukhwana Sh2,000 to use to convince the remandees to carry out the attack. When Mukwhana questioned what would happen if something went wrong, he says Talaam told him not to worry since he was a junior officer and had no choice but to follow orders.

"Hapana huwezi kataa amri ya mkubwa. Mimi mwenyewe nilikubali, kwani mimi ni mjinga? Ukikataa kuna kitu inaweza kukufanyikia na wewe ni junior officer, Talaam reportedly said which translates which loosely translates to, "No, you can't defy an order from a senior. I myself complied. Do you think I'm a fool? If you refuse, something could happen to you, especially since you're just a junior officer."

Mukhwana stated that he informed Talaam his shift was about to end and that another constable, identified only as Kimani, was supposed to take over, but Talaam would hear none of it.

"Kimani hapana," Talaam reportedly said, with Deputy OCS Ng'ang'a proposing that Kimani be stationed at the main gate instead of on sentry duty. Mukhwana allegedly convinced the senior officers to include Constable Kimani in the plan.

"I told him that Kimani will be at the gate, and he will suspect something fishy and raise eyebrows. Then the deputy agreed and said "sawa wacha mkue na yeye', "

"The deputy (OCS) met PC Kimani and started informing him of the plan," said Mukhwana, who proceeded to identify remandees who would "discipline" Ojwang.

He added that, "I met Ngige, who had stayed for a long time, and I told him there was Sh2,000 that the OCS had given out (to discipline Ojwang). I told him he should look for people who could do the job, and he left and went to the cells."

Moments later, Ngige reportedly informed Mukwhana that he had identified individuals for the job. He then gave back the Sh2,000 he received from Mukhwana and urged him to buy them liquor since they could not carry out the task without being under the influence of alcohol.

"I then left and went to the canteen and bought alcohol. I gave it to Ngige, and he went back to their cell. PC Kimani told us to make sure the instructions succeed," said Mukwhana.

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• Police Constable Mukhwana links DIG of Police Lagat
• OCS Talaam to Albert Ojwang’s death

"He then called the inmates one by one as they were entering the back cells. He confirmed all the inmates were present. It was around 8:30 pm."

Mukhwana says he went to the police canteen and imbibed on a beer after changing into civilian clothes. He claimed to have forgotten his key in the changing room, and as he went to retrieve it, he saw a black Subaru vehicle arriving at the station.

Mukwhana called Deputy OCS Ng'ang'a to confirm whether the vehicle was ferrying Ojwang, and the Deputy OCS reportedly told him to call Talaam instead.

"I suspect they were DCI officers I saw alight and with a person in handcuffs. There was a person who came out of the vehicle. He was speaking the Kalenjin Language. The person asked who Mukhwana was," he said.

After confirming he was the person the man was asking for, Mukhwana says he was handed the phone and informed by OCS Talaam that Ojwang was the man they had been waiting for.

"I heard the voice of OCS Taalam telling me 'ni huyo mtu'," said Mukhwana, who says the unidentified man also confirmed Ojwang as the suspect.

It was around 9:10 pm, according to Mukhwana, who claimed to have left for the canteen as Ojwang was being booked.

"About 10 minutes later, I called Kimani to ask if they had finished booking the suspect. He confirmed that he had placed him in the area where shoes are kept," he said.

Mukhwana says he called Talaam to inquire about the level of "discipline" expected and was told the aim was for the Ojwang "apate majeraha aende hospitali," loosely translating to "sustain injuries and end up in hospital."

"The deputy OCS called me asking where I was, and I told him the canteen. He came to the canteen, peeped and saw me. Shortly after I returned, PC Kimani opened the cells, I entered and found Ngige already in the corridor asking where Ojwang was," he said.

Mukhwana pointed out that Ngige, alongside inmates Collins Ireri, Gil Ammiton, Brian Mwaniki and Erick Ndambuki, who have been linked to the murder, entered Ojwang's cell. Not long after, Ojwang's torture allegedly began.

"I could hear the screams from the last cells where Ngige and his team had taken the suspect. I felt that the beating was too much, and I rushed to stop them as PC Kimani followed me. I stopped the beating. The person was oozing blood from his mouth. He was leaning against the wall," said Mukhwana.

"I then told Kimani to inform IP Ngang'a to take the suspect to the hospital. It was around 2200 hours. I personally called IP Ng'ang'a to take the suspect to the hospital, and he asked whether he was seriously injured. I disconnected my phone and left for home via an Uber. "

The next morning, Mukhwana woke up to news of Ojwang's passing. He said he called IP Ng'ang'a to inquire whether it was true, but the senior officer told him to call Talaam instead.

Mukhwana says Talaam did not immediately respond to his calls, so he opted to text him to confirm whether they were in the clear or not. Talaam allegedly responded by saying things were not bad. Mukwhana again called Talaam, who warned him against discussing the matter on the phone.

"At that moment, I deleted the text I had sent him. He called me with another number and told me not to discuss the matter. He asked me where I lived, and after telling him Industrial area, he said he would call me the following day and agree on where to meet," said Mukhwana.

As Mukhwana was preparing to meet Talaam, he was summoned by the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA), which was investigating the incident.

"I came to IPOA and recorded a statement, but did not disclose what had happened. I thought we were to cover for each other, but later I discovered my colleagues had heaped the blame on me. That was June 11, 2025," he said.

Mukhwana went back to IPOA offices on June 12, where he was arrested and taken to Capitol Hill Police station. He later rescinded his initial statement and recorded a more detailed recollection of events in the presence of his lawyer.

"Ojwang was not supposed to be killed but disciplined as per instructions from OCS Talaam, who was also under the instruction of DIG Lagat. As per the instructions he gave me, I'm sorry for the death of Ojwang; may God help his family to heal from the loss. I know it's painful."