Central Police Station officers, OCS Taalam say Albert Ojwang was brought in critical condition

Officers from Nairobi’s Central Police Station have recorded statements with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), distancing themselves from the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in custody.

The officers claim Ojwang was already in critical condition when he was brought into the station.

They allege that they made efforts to save his life upon realizing his deteriorating state, seemingly pointing fingers at their counterparts from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), accusing them of bearing responsibility for Ojwang’s death.

The Officer Commanding Central Police Station, Samson Taalam, has also denied any involvement in Ojwang’s alleged torture and subsequent death.

Taalam, who recorded a statement on Wednesday at IPOA offices, insisted he was only summoned after Ojwang had already been booked into custody.

He claimed that upon arrival, he found the suspect in poor health and took the initiative to rush him to hospital.

Questions continue to mount over the state in which Ojwang was brought into the station and the timeline of events that followed.

IPOA is expected to forward its findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), with recommendations on whether charges should be brought against the officers involved.

OCS Taalam, through his lawyer Felix Keaton, has expressed willingness to cooperate fully with IPOA, saying he is committed to ensuring justice is served.

Meanwhile, scrutiny is intensifying over the role of five DCI officers who are reported to have picked up Ojwang from his home and transported him to Nairobi shortly before his death.

DCI boss Amin Mohammed had earlier said OCS Taalam should be the prime suspect in the ongoing probe into Ojwang’s murder.

Amin made the bold statement on Wednesday during a Senate grilling session on Ojwang's killing, which has sparked public outrage.

He noted that investigations have established that OCS Taalam declined to book Ojwang when he was presented at the station, raising serious questions over his conduct and possible culpability.

“It has further been confirmed that before the booking, the report office personnel called the OCS, and unfortunately, it is being said that he (Taalam) declined to book the suspect,” Amin told the Senate.

“Taalam is the Officer Commanding Central Police Station, and from the totality of things, he should be treated as the prime suspect in the matter.”