NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has publicly called for the immediate suspension of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Kenya Police Service, Eliud Lagat, following the unexplained death of Albert Ojwang’ at Central Police Station on Sunday.
Taking to his X account on Monday, Gachagua asserted that the police chief must bear full responsibility for Ojwang’s arrest, which stemmed from a social media comment.
“He must take full responsibility for this murder,” Gachagua wrote, accusing DIG Lagat of operating Kamukunji and Central Police Stations as “the new torture chambers” without the knowledge of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja. He suggested this alleged independent operation justified Ojwang’s transfer from Homa Bay to Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Gachagua dismissed the interdiction of junior officers on duty during Ojwang’s detention as mere window dressing.
“Suspending junior officers at Central Police Station is hoodwinking Kenyans. For any meaningful investigations to be done, Mr. Eliud Lagat must be suspended immediately,” he added, arguing that targeting “small fish” would not achieve justice.
Albert Ojwang’ was apprehended by police in Kakot, Homa Bay County, on Saturday afternoon and transported to Nairobi. His father, Meshack Opiyo, discovered his son’s death on Sunday when he arrived at Central Police Station to inquire about his whereabouts.
A police report claims Ojwang’s death was a suicide, stating an officer found him “with blood oozing from his head” during a routine cell visit. The report further suggests preliminary investigations showed Ojwang’, booked for “false publication,” sustained head injuries “by hitting his head severally against the wall inside the cell.”
Gachagua vehemently condemned what he termed a “mysterious death,” demanding an immediate probe and pledging to join Kenyans in seeking justice for Ojwang’s family.
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Addressing various groups, he declared, “To the family of Albert and the people of HomaBay County, friends of Albert and the people of Kenya, especially the GenZs, I stand with you in seeking justice for Albert, whose murder has fingers pointed to this cowardly regime.”
He further accused the government of silencing critics through violence, urging President William Ruto to uphold his pledge to protect Kenyans. “There has been no worse mutilation of our freedoms in Kenya than under this regime,” he stated.
Gachagua concluded with a scathing indictment: “It is now clear that the so-called Broad-based Government is [a] Blood-Based Government whose engine is powered by the blood of GenZs. It was formed after the blood of young people was splashed in the streets, and it continues to survive on this. The beneficiaries are quiet as the young people get brutally murdered.”
