Detectives have launched an investigation into the death of Albert Ojwang’, a teacher and well-known social media influencer, who died while in police custody.
Ojwang’ was arrested last Friday in Homa Bay County after authorities accused him of posting a “derogatory” message on X (formerly Twitter).
Ojwang’ had traveled to Migori to visit family when plainclothes officers unexpectedly detained him. According to Ojwang’s father, the officers provided little explanation, only stating that he had “insulted their boss” on the social media platform.
“They picked him up and put him in handcuffs,” Ojwang’s father recounted. “I asked why they were arresting him. They said he had insulted their boss on X and told me to follow them to the police station if I wanted more information.”
Following his arrest, officers transported Ojwang to Nairobi, where they formally booked him at Central Police Station for further questioning.
Hours after news of his arrest began circulating online, reports surfaced that Ojwang had sustained severe head injuries. Authorities claimed the injuries were self-inflicted.
Stephen Okal, the Nairobi Central Police Station boss, confirmed the details of the incident. “He was rushed to the hospital after what we think was an attempted suicide. He injured himself in the head and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. He did not die here in custody,” Okal said.
Ojwang’s body was transferred to the mortuary pending an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has also joined the probe to ensure transparency and accountability throughout the investigation.
Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of VOCAL Africa, said his team is closely following the case.
“Our team at VOCAL Africa is presently following up on the case of Albert Ojwang, who was arrested yesterday in Migori. We have confirmed that his lifeless body is lying at the city mortuary. We suspect this to be yet another case of extrajudicial killing. We are following up to establish the course of death,” Khalid said.
The family’s lawyer strongly condemned the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death and called for a thorough and impartial investigation.
“It was quite unfortunate because the offence they were informing me that the boy was being investigated for was a media publication on Twitter. That is really not something I would expect to lead to someone losing their life. It doesn’t matter what the offence is, there is the law. We would have expected that the boy would be brought to the station, processed normally, and taken to court. It is quite unfortunate, and this is a matter that must be investigated so that the truth is revealed,” the lawyer stated.
