Protests erupted in the Kenyan capital on Monday and Tuesday following the death of blogger and activist Albert Ojwang, who was found dead in police custody on Sunday.
While police initially claimed Ojwang had injured himself by repeatedly banging his head against the wall of his cell, an autopsy conducted on Tuesday June 10, revealed that he had been strangled, contradicting the official account.
Government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia confirmed that Ojwang had sustained multiple injuries consistent with assault rather than self-harm.
“When we examined the pattern of the injury, especially on the trauma, I found it on the head. Hitting against a blunt substance like a wall would have a pattern,” Dr. Midia stated during a press briefing.
Ojwang was arrested on Friday in Homa Bay, western Kenya, and transported approximately 400km to Nairobi.
Fellow activists claim that his arrest was politically motivated, stemming from a critical post he made about Deputy Police Chief Eliud Lagat on X.
“What the members of the family are saying is that they have seen the body, the lawyer has also said they have seen the body, and there are multiple injuries on his face, his hands, and the rest of his body—so how could he have hurt himself like that?”.
In response to mounting public pressure, Kenya Police announced that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death.
Police Inspector-General Douglas Kanja also confirmed that officers who were on duty at the time of the incident would not return to work while the investigation is ongoing.
Amnesty Kenya issued a statement demanding full accountability, emphasizing that the results of the IPOA probe must be made public and that any officer found responsible should be held to account.
