IPOA given one week to complete probe into death of Albert Ojwang' while in custody
The ODPP cited a statement issued by IPOA on June 9 confirming the launch of the probe and directed that the resulting investigation file be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions within seven days for review and appropriate action.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has been given one week to probe the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang', who died while in custody at the Central Police Station in Nairobi.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said it is closely monitoring the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death and has formally directed IPOA to expedite investigations into the matter.
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The ODPP cited a statement issued by IPOA on June 9 confirming the launch of the probe and directed that the resulting investigation file be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions within seven days for review and appropriate action.
“In light of the foregoing and pursuant to Article 157(4) of the Constitution, and Section 5(2) of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Act, Cap. 6B of the Laws of Kenya, the DPP has directed the IPOA to expedite the said investigations,” the statement read in part.
The ODPP reaffirmed its commitment to its constitutional mandate in line with the law, the public interest, and the administration of justice.
The directive comes in the wake of an autopsy conducted on Tuesday, which revealed that Ojwang' suffered multiple injuries inconsistent with claims that he hit himself against a wall.
Government Pathologist Bernard Midia said the pattern of trauma observed on the deceased’s body does not support the explanation given in an earlier police report.
“When we examined the pattern of the injury, especially on the trauma I found on the head, hitting against a blunt substance like a wall would have a pattern,” Midia said.
He explained that self-inflicted trauma from banging into a wall would likely show a frontal injury, yet the injuries found on Ojwang’s body were spread across the scalp, face, sides, and back of the head.
Dr Midia ruled out the possibility that Ojwang injured himself. The autopsy was carried out in the presence of the family’s pathologist, Mutuma Zambezi.
Outrage has now erupted over Ojwang’s death, sparking fresh calls for accountability and a regime change. Leaders, including former Chief Justice David Maraga, condemned what he described as a pattern of police brutality and impunity under President William Ruto’s administration.
“This brutal murder, falling nearly on the first anniversary of the killing, maiming, and abduction of hundreds of young Kenyans, is evidence that William Ruto’s administration does not appreciate that the people of Kenya are sovereign. His administration has therefore lost legitimacy to continue being in power,” he said.
Maraga noted that enforced disappearances have surged by 450 per cent within one year and warned that the nation is teetering on the edge of state failure.
“Albert’s murder is the last straw. The Ruto administration has for long now taken Kenyans for granted.”
Calling for a complete government shutdown, the former CJ said the regime must make way for a national reset that respects the rule of law and the sanctity of human life.
“We now demand the regime shuts down, makes way for a reset to the rule of law and accountability; a restoration to the values respecting human life; and a rebuilding of our nation’s institutions that now point towards State failure,” he said.
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