Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has publicly apologised for an earlier statement claiming that blogger Albert Ojwang succumbed to self-inflicted injuries while in police custody.
Speaking on Wednesday, Kanja admitted that the initial
report - stating that Ojwang fatally injured himself by banging his head
against a wall at Central Police Station - was inaccurate and regrettable.
“I tender my apologies on behalf of the National Police
Service (NPS) over the previous report on Ojwang's cause of death,” Kanja said.
His apology followed the release of postmortem findings by
Government Pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia, which contradicted the police
narrative.
Midia confirmed that Ojwang suffered multiple external
injuries, including blunt force trauma and signs of strangulation, indicating that
he was assaulted by a third party.
Ojwang, 31, was arrested on June 7th in Homa Bay
over a social media post implicating Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat in
corruption.
He was transported over 400km to Nairobi and died the
following day while in custody.
The apology comes amid national outrage and growing pressure
on the police service.
President Ruto has condemned the conduct of officers
involved, warning that any form of negligence or criminality must be punished.
“This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is
unacceptable,” Ruto said.
“When officers take a person into custody, they assume full
responsibility for their safety.”
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