Raila: Ojwang’s death undermines Police credibility and authority

Former prime minister and ODM party leader Raila Odinga has criticised the police over the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang in police custody.

The circumstances surrounding the death of the 31-year-old teacher and blogger has sparked outrage, with Odinga stating that the incident has eroded the authority and credibility of both the police force and the state.

“While these deaths cause tremendous pain to individuals and their families, they seriously erode the authority and credibility of the police and the state, and that is a significant step towards chaos and collapse, he noted.

“When citizens can no longer tell the difference between the two forms of injustice- police injustice and mob injustice- we are staring at the reality of failure as a nation”, he regretted.

Odinga, at the same time, voiced his concern over alleged extrajudicial killings witnessed in the last two years.

“So far, nobody knows who gave the orders for Mr. Ojwang to be arrested and ferried all the way to Nairobi and yet that person should be answering to Kenyans. Mr. Ojwang now joins the horrifying long list of young and defenseless Kenyans whose lives have been taken too soon, in brutal and senseless circumstances, at the hands of the police,” he said.

He urged the National Police Service to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

“A speedy and credible closure to this latest incident of injustice in the hands of the police, alongside the many others that we have been pursuing since 2023, is not optional. The National Police Service must commit to and take concrete actions to hold their own accountable, beginning with this senseless death of Albert Ojwang,” he said.

Initially, the police alleged that the deceased had hit his head against the walls of the police station cells and died while being taken to Mbagathi Hospital for treatment.

However, the Ojwang family’s lawyer, Julius Juma, said the body bore signs of severe physical trauma, including swelling on the head, nose and ears.

Meanwhile, the National Police Service has released the names of six officers attached to the Central Police Station who have been interdicted.

They are Officer Commanding Station Samson Talaam, duty officer Samuel Ng’ang’a, Corporal Charles Muruki, and police constables Debian Lusweti, Peter Kimani, and Evaline Kanyiri.

“To ensure a thorough, impartial, and expeditious investigation by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), the Inspector General of the National Police has ordered the interdiction of the officers with immediate effect,” said Mr Michael Muchiri, the police spokesperson, in a statement.