CS Murkomen: Justice will be served, there will be no cover-up in Albert Ojwang’s death probe

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has assured the Senate that the government will fully support investigations into the death of Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody, and promised that justice will be served without any cover-up or protection for those involved.

Speaking during an informal Senate session on Wednesday, Murkomen said his ministry will offer every form of support required by investigators and will not interfere with the process.

“I will cooperate. I will put every effort within my ministry to ensure that justice is served to this family and that those who were involved in this action will be punished severely. Such an act should not happen within police custody, ”he stated.

Ojwang, a teacher and social media influencer, was arrested in Homa Bay and later taken to the Central Police Station in Nairobi. Records show he arrived around 9:00 pm on Sunday but was only booked at 1 am.

His body was moved to the Nairobi Funeral Home at 2:44 am.

A postmortem by five pathologists confirmed he was tortured and beaten to death.

Addressing Senators, the Interior CS said the case had shocked the country and was a failure on the part of the police.

“The tragic death of Albert Ojwang while in police custody has deeply failed the conscience of our nation. Parents have lost their only child. I acknowledge this not as an isolated issue, because one life lost under such circumstances is a life too many,” Murkomen noted.

He said that although the Constitution bars him from directing the Inspector General on specific cases, his ministry has the legal power to offer policy direction and resources for investigations.

“The Constitution did not give me the eyes to see who is culpable. Those eyes have been given to the investigative authorities under Article 245 of the Constitution,” the CS said.

The Interior CS told the senators that his ministry will work closely with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to ensure there is no interference.

“We would do everything within the Ministry to ensure that there is no shielding of any individual, there is no cover-up from the part of the Executive,” Murkomen said.

“Let it be known not just in this House, but to the country, that in the same manner that this House is demanding accountability, it’s the same manner I demand accountability from the Inspector General—not to myself—but to the people of Kenya,” he added.

Murkomen said police brutality has been a long-standing problem, but there is now a clear legal and institutional framework for accountability.

He pointed to earlier cases, including the killings of Martin Kome in 2013 and lawyer Willie Kimani in 2016, where police officers were taken to court.

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“A number of police officers who have committed such heinous acts have been held to account,” he said. “I want to promise the family of Albert, the people of Kenya, and this House that every effort will be put in and every resource that is required, we will do our best to make sure justice is served,” the CS concluded.

The Senate had suspended its plenary session for two hours to allow an informal meeting with Murkomen, Inspector General Douglas Kanja, DCI Director Mohamed Amin, and a representative from IPOA.

The session gave senators a chance to question the top officials over the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death.