Family demands answers after blogger Albert Omondi dies in police cell after arrest over X post
Omondi's father revealed that on Sunday, upon his arrival in Nairobi, officers at Central Police Station informed him that Omondi had died from self-inflicted injuries after hitting himself against the wall.
Police are facing scrutiny after the unexplained death of a 26-year-old man who was arrested over a social media post and later died in custody under unclear circumstances.
Albert Omondi Ojwang was arrested on Saturday afternoon at his family home in Kakot, Homa Bay County, by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Officers informed his family that he was being investigated over an alleged offensive post he made on X.
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According to his family, the officers initially detained Omondi at Mawego Police Station before transferring him overnight to Nairobi, where he was held at the Central Police Station.
However, when his relatives visited the Nairobi police station on Sunday to check on him, they were informed he had died.
“We awaited his arraignment on Monday so that we could follow up on the case from there. But today, his father, who came to follow up after the arrest, informed me that his son was dead. It is quite unfortunate,” the family’s lawyer said while addressing journalists outside Central Police Station.
The lawyer said police directed the family to the City Mortuary, where Omondi’s body had been taken.
“One does not deserve to lose their life; there is the law, and we expected the boy to be processed normally and charged, then, if found guilty, punished according to the law,” the lawyer said.
Omondi’s father, Meshack Opiyo, tearfully recalled the moment officers took away his only son.
“He was arrested while having lunch with us after returning from the farm. The arresting police said Albert had insulted a senior person on X,” Opiyo said.
Dead in police cell
He further revealed that on Sunday, upon his arrival in Nairobi, officers at Central Police Station informed him that Omondi had died from self-inflicted injuries after hitting himself against the wall.
But Opiyo questioned the official narrative and demanded a thorough and independent investigation into his son’s death.
According to a police report, an officer conducting a routine check on the cells reportedly found Omondi “with blood oozing from his head”.
“They immediately rushed the prisoner to Mbagathi Hospital for treatment, where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” reads the report.
Police further claimed that preliminary investigations showed Omondi, who had been booked for the offence of false publication, sustained fatal head injuries “by hitting his head severally against the wall inside the cell”.
In a statement on Sunday, the National Police Service (NPS) confirmed the incident, stating that Omondi was lawfully arrested by DCI officers and placed in custody.
“While in custody, the suspect sustained head injuries after hitting his head against the cell wall,” reads the statement issued by NPS Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga.
Nyaga added that officers noticed his injuries and took immediate action by rushing him to Mbagathi Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
The NPS said the matter has been referred to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) for investigation.
The NPS also assured the public of its commitment to uphold constitutional rights and human dignity.
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