NAIROBI, Kenya — Detectives are actively pursuing at least two police officers for questioning in connection with the brutal murder of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang.
This development comes as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) had instructed them to trace and apprehend a minimum of three police officers and two civilians involved in the case.
One official, familiar with an ongoing operation since Thursday, stated: “They have switched off their mobile phones and we can’t find them for now. We are, however, optimistic to find them for justice.”
The authorities are urging the wanted officers, who had previously recorded statements with IPOA, to surrender.
These developments emerge amidst revelations that some of the 17 police officers questioned so far in the saga have approached IPOA to alter their initial testimonies.
According to internal sources, these officers expressed a desire to change their narrative and provide further details regarding what they knew about the murder, now alleging that the killing occurred at the Central Police Station cells.
Investigators are currently searching for a riot baton believed to have been used in the murder.
In total, at least 23 individuals, comprising 17 police officers and several civilians deemed crucial witnesses to the murder, have been questioned.
Detectives, supported by IPOA, have arrested a technician responsible for installing the CCTV system at the Central Police Station. This same technician admitted to being called upon to delete and format the system following Ojwang’s murder, for which he claimed he was paid Ksh 3,000. A hunt for the remaining missing suspects was actively underway on Friday morning.
Earlier, a police constable was apprehended in connection with Ojwang’s murder. The constable asserted he was off duty when the incident transpired on June 7. He was arrested by officers from the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of the National Police Service and IPOA.
The IAU joined the probe on Thursday to complement IPOA’s ongoing investigation and has since summoned senior officers for grilling at Central Police Station, where the incident occurred.
Albert Ojwang was initially arrested by DCI officers in Homa Bay County concerning a controversial social media post. He was subsequently transferred to Central Police Station in Nairobi. Tragically, hours later, he was transported to Mbagathi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical officer on duty reported that Ojwang was brought to the facility at 2:00 AM. A hospital report indicated that Ojwang’s face was swollen, and his body and limbs bore multiple bruises.
Disturbingly, blood was oozing from the back of his head, his mouth, and his eyes. A cut was noted on the parieto-occipital region (back of his head), and his entire body was cold and unresponsive. An autopsy has since confirmed that he was assaulted and strangled.
IPOA has confirmed that three suspects have been linked to Ojwang’s death. During a closed-door session with members of the National Security and Administration Committee, IPOA chairperson Isack Hassan stated that the authority had identified at least three individuals believed to be involved in Ojwang’s death.
IPOA also confirmed that Ojwang was murdered within the station’s cells, where he had been held in isolation.
Reporting to the National Assembly plenary ahead of the budget reading, committee chairperson Gabriel Tongoyo disclosed these developments, stating: “IPOA is seeking to arrest three suspects as we speak and has requested the assistance of the Inspector General of Police to effect the arrests.”
Tongoyo assured the House that the authority had made significant progress in uncovering the truth and that justice would be served.
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IPOA chairperson Isaac Hassan further informed the National Assembly’s Security Committee that Digital Video Recorder (DVR) logs showed the discs were changed and formatted on June 8, 2025, at 07:23:29 and 07:23:48 hours.
Hassan indicated that this act was part of a deliberate scheme to erase surveillance footage connected to the events preceding Ojwang’s death in police custody.
“Somebody called someone to come and switch off a particular section, but he said he could only shut down the entire system,” Hassan told the committee. He also revealed that the CCTV hard disks had been replaced in what appeared to be a calculated effort to conceal evidence.
“The DVR logs indicated that the operating discs had been changed and formatted on June 8, 2025, at 07:23:48 hours and 07:23:29 hours,” said Hassan.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja confirmed that Ojwang was booked at the Central Police Station under Occurrence Book number 136/7/6/2025 at 21:35 hours on June 7, 2025.
