DPP Drops Bombshell in Albert Ojwang Murder Trial, Says He Was Tortured in Police Custody as CCTV Was Deleted
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has made explosive allegations in the murder trial of Albert Ojwang, telling the High Court that the deceased was tortured and killed while in police custody before critical CCTV footage was allegedly deleted to cover up what happened.
Opening the prosecution’s case before the Kibra High Court on Monday, DPP Renson Ingonga said investigations had established that Ojwang’s death was the result of a deliberate assault inside Nairobi Central Police Station, dismissing earlier police claims that he died after repeatedly hitting his head against a cell wall.
According to the prosecution, Ojwang was brutally assaulted using a blunt object before being strangled to death while under police custody.
“The evidence will demonstrate that the deceased sustained multiple injuries inconsistent with the initial explanation given regarding the cause of death,” the prosecution told the court.
Ingonga said forensic and medical evidence would show that Ojwang suffered blunt force trauma to the head, compression injuries to the neck, and multiple injuries across different parts of his body.
The prosecution argued that the injuries were consistent with torture and a violent assault, rather than self-inflicted injuries as initially claimed.
Claims of CCTV Cover-Up
In one of the most dramatic revelations made during the opening of the trial, the DPP alleged that crucial surveillance footage from Nairobi Central Police Station was deliberately erased before investigators could access it.
According to the prosecution, CCTV recordings from the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) office—considered critical to establishing the sequence of events leading to Ojwang’s death—were deleted after the station’s Digital Video Recorder (DVR) was formatted.
The prosecution maintained that the deletion amounted to an attempt to conceal evidence and frustrate investigations into the death.
“The CCTV footage was of immense evidential value as it could have established who entered and exited the relevant areas and what transpired during the period the deceased was in custody,” prosecutors submitted.
Technician Testifies on Deleted Footage
The issue of the missing CCTV footage featured prominently during testimony by the prosecution’s first witness.
A technician told the court that he was dispatched to Nairobi Central Police Station by his employer after officers from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) requested technical assistance to retrieve surveillance footage.
Upon arriving at the station, the witness said he discovered that the DVR in the OCS office had already been disconnected and was no longer operational.
He further testified that the recording device had been completely formatted before he arrived, making it impossible to recover the footage investigators were seeking.
The prosecution argues that the formatting of the DVR was a calculated move intended to interfere with evidence linked to Ojwang’s death.
Six Accused Face Murder Charges
Former Nairobi Central Police Station Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Taalam and five other suspects have been charged with murder in connection with Ojwang’s death.
All six accused persons have denied the charges.
The case is being heard before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibra High Court, where prosecutors are expected to call several witnesses, including forensic experts, investigators and medical personnel, to support allegations that Ojwang was deliberately assaulted while in custody and that attempts were later made to conceal key evidence.
Case That Sparked National Attention
Albert Ojwang’s death while in police custody triggered widespread public outrage, renewed scrutiny of police conduct and intensified calls for accountability within Kenya’s law enforcement agencies.
The murder trial is expected to examine not only the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death but also the prosecution’s allegations that evidence was deliberately destroyed in an effort to obstruct justice.
As hearings continue, the High Court is expected to hear further testimony from witnesses whose evidence could prove pivotal in determining both the cause of Ojwang’s death and whether there was a coordinated effort to cover up the events inside Nairobi Central Police Station.
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