14 police officers grilled over Albert Ojwang's murder
The group is among 18 officers who have been identified and summoned as part of IPOA’s ongoing probe into the death, which has sparked public uproar and demands for justice.
At least 14 police officers have been grilled by detectives from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) over the murder of Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody on June 7.
The officers include personnel from Nairobi’s Central Police Station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
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The group is among 18 officers who have been identified and summoned as part of IPOA’s ongoing probe into the death, which has sparked public uproar and demands for justice. Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay County over claims of false publication before being transferred to Central Police Station in Nairobi, where he later died.
The officers were summoned to IPOA offices in Nairobi on Wednesday, where they spent most of the day giving statements. Some were accompanied by lawyers, while others appeared without legal representation.
According to insiders, some of the officers claimed Ojwang was already in critical condition when he arrived at the station and that they tried to save his life after noticing his deteriorating state. However, officers from the DCI said Ojwang was in good condition when he was handed over to the station at around 9.35 pm on Saturday.
Central Police Station boss Samson Taalam, who is at the centre of the probe, has denied any involvement in Ojwang’s alleged torture and death. Taalam said he was only called in after Ojwang had already been booked and claimed that he found him in poor health and rushed him to the hospital.
Taalam’s lawyer, Felix Keaton, said his client is ready to cooperate with IPOA and is committed to ensuring justice is served.
However, DCI boss Mohammed Amin has put Taalam on the spot, saying he should be treated as the prime suspect. “It has further been confirmed that before the booking, the report office personnel called the OCS, and unfortunately, it is being said that he (Taalam) declined to book the suspect,” Mohammed told the Senate. “Taalam is the Officer Commanding Central Police Station, and from the totality of things, he should be treated as the prime suspect in the matter.”
Amin also confirmed that Ojwang was transferred from Homa Bay to Central Police Station because the alleged offence was committed in Nairobi.
IPOA has taken over the investigation and is expected to forward its findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who has given the authority seven days to submit the file for action.
Appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, IPOA Vice Chair Anne Wanjiku said the investigation had hit a snag due to missing CCTV footage from the OCS’s office. She said the footage, which could have helped piece together events at the station, had been interfered with.
She added that the autopsy results had ruled out suicide, contradicting earlier police reports. “CCTV systems at the OCS office had been interfered with, the postmortem conducted on June 10 revealed the cause of death as head injury due to blunt force trauma, neck compression and multiple subcutaneous bruises all over the body. They rule out the theory of suicide,” she noted.
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