Protests have erupted in Nairobi following the suspicious death of Kenyan blogger and activist Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody under circumstances now widely disputed. Ojwang, who had been arrested on Friday in Homa Bay over a critical post about Deputy Police Chief Eliud Lagat, was transferred over 400 kilometers to Nairobi, where he was reported dead on Sunday. Initial police claims suggested Ojwang fatally injured himself by banging his head against a cell wall. However, an autopsy conducted on Tuesday by government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia revealed the cause of death to be strangulation. Midia reported multiple injuries inconsistent with self-harm, including signs of blunt force trauma, contradicting the police narrative.
“Based on the trauma patterns, the injuries do not support the idea that he inflicted them himself by hitting a wall,” Dr. Midia told reporters at a press briefing. Activists, lawyers, and Ojwang’s family, gathered at the Nairobi Funeral Home, expressed outrage over the condition of his body, which showed multiple facial and bodily injuries. Human rights groups, including Amnesty Kenya, condemned the arrest and called for transparency and accountability. They demand that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) publish its findings and that all implicated officers face legal consequences.
Kenya’s Inspector-General of Police, Douglas Kanja, has confirmed that the officers on duty during Ojwang’s detention have been suspended pending the investigation. The incident has sparked widespread anger, particularly on social media, and renewed calls for nationwide demonstrations. Protesters have drawn parallels between Ojwang’s death and last year’s finance bill protests, during which several demonstrators were abducted or killed by police. Despite the eventual scrapping of the proposed taxes in 2024, public frustration over state violence, corruption, and economic hardship remains high.
