Ojwang’s solitary detention triggers Senate probe as IPOA reports tampered CCTV at station

Inspector General of Police Douglass Kanja on Wednesday told senators that he was awaiting a report from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on the circumstances that led to the late Albert Ojwang being held alone in a police cell.

His statement came as senators demanded answers on whether Ojwang had been subjected to solitary confinement and under what conditions such a measure would have been justified.

“The investigative team needs to tell us why he was booked in a cell on his own, because there are a number of cells at the Central Police Station,” said Kanja.

Questionable circumstances

Ojwang, a teacher and a blogger, died in police custody under what have been described as highly questionable circumstances.

According to documents from Central Police Station, Ojwang was booked in good health after travelling from Homa Bay to Nairobi.

A statement by five DCI officers claimed that he spoke with his wife before being placed in the cell, a detail that IPOA is currently verifying by seeking call records from Safaricom. The family’s testimony is expected to further clarify this matter.

CCTV system

IPOA Vice Chairperson Ann Wanjiku, presenting key findings to the Senate plenary, disclosed that the CCTV system at the office of the OCS had been tampered with, a development she called deeply concerning.

“The key findings are as follows: one, that the CCTV systems located at the OCS office had been interfered with. Two, the post-mortem conducted on 10 June 2025 revealed the cause of death as a head injury inflicted by a blunt object, alongside bruises all over the body.

These rule out the theory of suicide,” she told the Senate.

Documented the scene

Wanjiku further disclosed that IPOA had already visited and documented the scene, collected blood samples, conducted a blood splatter analysis, and secured all relevant police documents. However, she noted that forensic analysis of the collected samples was still pending.

Despite significant progress in the investigation, IPOA has not yet completed forensic analysis of the samples collected.

“The following are the pending tasks,” said IPOA Vice Chairperson Ann Wanjiku.

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“We need to forward the collected samples from the crime scene for analysis, record statements from other potential witnesses and family members, take statements from officers at Central Police Station, and obtain medical documents, including feedback from Mbagathi Hospital.”