By: TPA News Desk | [email protected]
Kenya’s Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eliud Lagat, appeared before the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on Thursday to give a statement regarding the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody. Lagat had temporarily stepped aside from his position earlier this week, stating his intention to “allow for impartial investigations into the matter.”
Albert Ojwang, 31, died shortly after being arrested on June 6 in connection with social media posts that reportedly accused Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat of corruption. While police initially claimed Ojwang died in his cell after hitting his head against a wall, a government pathologist’s report has since contradicted this, indicating that his injuries were “unlikely to be self-inflicted” and included blunt force trauma and neck compression.
Ojwang’s death has ignited widespread public outrage and protests across Kenya, particularly in Nairobi, demanding accountability for police brutality. President William Ruto has acknowledged that Ojwang died “at the hands of the police” and has called for swift and credible investigations. In connection with the case, two police officers and a civilian (a CCTV technician accused of tampering with surveillance) have been arrested. Lagat’s decision to step aside, announced on Monday, June 16, comes amid mounting pressure from civil society organizations and human rights activists for transparent investigations into the incident.
