IG interdicts officers on duty at Central police station when Albert Ojwang' died

In a statement on Monday, the National Police Service (NPS) said the interdiction is to allow for an impartial investigation at the station by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA). 

The IG ordered interdiction of; the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Duty Officer on duty during the night in question, Cell Sentry on duty at the time, all officers who were on duty at the Report Office that night and any other officer found to have been on duty or otherwise involved during the incident.

Police said the move would allow a “thorough, impartial, and expeditious investigation” by IPOA. 

Ojwang’ died at the Central Police Station in Nairobi on Sunday. 

This was after police arrested him at his home in Kakot, Homa Bay County on Saturday afternoon. The officers said they were probing him over a post he allegedly made on the social media platform X.

They later drove him to Nairobi and detained him at the Central Police Station.

However, when his family arrived at the police station on Sunday to follow up on the case, they found he was dead.

“We awaited his arraignment in court on Monday so we can follow up the case from there. But today, his father who came to follow up after the arrest informed me his son was dead. It is quite unfortunate,” a lawyer for the family told reporters outside the police station.

They said police told them Albert’s body had been taken to City Mortuary.