IPOA: CCTV footage at Nairobi Central Police Station erased after Ojwang’s death in custody

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has informed Parliament that CCTV hard drives at Nairobi’s Central Police Station were deliberately replaced and wiped just hours after Albert Ojwang died in custody.

While appearing before the National Assembly’s Security Committee, IPOA Chairperson Issack Hassan revealed that digital video recorder (DVR) logs showed the discs were replaced on June 8, 2025, at exactly 07:23:29 and 07:23:48.

Ojwang had been booked at the station under OB number 136/7/6/2025 at 21:35 hours on June 7.

Hassan described the formatting of the CCTV system as part of a coordinated effort to delete surveillance footage linked to the death.

“Somebody called someone to come and switch off a particular section, but he said he could only shut down the entire system. The DVR logs indicated that the operating discs had been changed and formatted,” he said on Thursday.

Recorded statements

He added that IPOA had already recorded statements from officers and other individuals who were present at the station on the day Ojwang died.

Due to the sensitive nature of the findings, IPOA requested a closed-door session with the committee.

“There is information we cannot reveal here in public, and we ask for a private session with the committee so that we can share that,” said Hassan.

Committee Chair Gabriel Tongoyo agreed to the request but asked IPOA to first give non-sensitive updates before the private briefing.

The revelations came a day after IPOA Vice Chair Anne Wanjiku told the Senate that the CCTV systems at the OCS’s office had been interfered with.

“One of the key findings was that the CCTV systems located at the OCS’s office had been interfered with. The autopsy report and our preliminary investigation rule out the theory of suicide,” she said.

Wanjiku also said IPOA only learned about the death through media reports and a police signal from the Inspector General. She said the authority launched investigations immediately and had already made progress in securing key evidence.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja told the committee that Deputy Inspector General Samson Lagat will step aside if he is implicated in the probe.

“There is an ongoing investigation by IPOA, and every person whose name is mentioned as having played any role in the death of the late Albert Ojwang must record a statement and give their side,” said Kanja. “If the DIG is going to be mentioned, then definitely he will make a statement. I believe it is on that basis that he can step aside to allow for the completion of the investigation.”

Other Topics To Read

• National
• Nairobi
• IPOA
• CCTV
• Central Police Station
• IPOA Chairperson Issack Hassan
• Albert Ojwang
• death in custody
• IPOA: CCTV footage at Nairobi Central Police Station erased after Ojwang’s death in custody
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Ojwang’s death has drawn public outrage and renewed calls for police accountability, with both Parliament and IPOA actively investigating the incident.