Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has revealed that a social media post made by the late Albert Ojwang triggered the security operations that led to his controversial arrest and eventual death while in custody.
Appearing before the Senate on Tuesday, IG Kanja stated that Ojwang’s post, shared on the platform X, raised allegations against Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat. According to Kanja, the post accused Lagat of placing loyal officers in key positions within the police service — including Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) desks, Occurrence Books (OBs), and traffic command shifts — suggesting systemic irregularities.
Kanja added that the post also mentioned Nairobi Area Commander Joseph Chirchir, linking both senior officers to a questionable investigation involving high-value property. The post, which reportedly included a photograph of Lagat with offensive captions, was published through an account with over 13,000 followers and attracted significant public attention.
Following the post, Deputy IG Lagat filed a formal complaint, prompting the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to launch an inquiry under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018. A cybercrime officer was assigned to investigate.
Ojwang, however, died shortly after his arrest, while being held at the Central Police Station in Nairobi — an incident that has since sparked public outrage and demands for accountability. The police initially claimed that Ojwang died by hitting himself on the wall, but a postmortem examination conducted by government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia revealed a different account.
“He had head and neck injuries, along with multiple soft tissue injuries consistent with assault,” said Dr. Midia. The autopsy determined that Ojwang died from head trauma, neck compression, and blunt force injuries, ruling out the police narrative of self-inflicted harm.
Midia emphasized that the nature of Ojwang’s injuries was not consistent with someone hitting themselves against a wall, noting the absence of expected frontal bleeding and trauma patterns.
The incident has intensified scrutiny on the conduct of law enforcement officers and raised broader concerns about freedom of expression and custodial deaths in Kenya.
