IG Kanja Interdicts Police Officers Linked to Albert Ojwang Custodial Death
The National Police Service (NPS) has interdicted the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Nairobi’s Central Police Station and all officers who were on duty during the night of the death of Albert Ojwang, a social media personality who died in police custody.
The announcement was made through a statement issued by NPS Corporate Communications Director Muchiri Nyaga on behalf of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja in the early hours of 9 June 2025. The interdiction is to facilitate an independent investigation into the incident which has raised public concern and scrutiny.
The NPS said the officers interdicted are the OCS, the duty officer on shift that night, the cell sentry, all report office officers present at the time and any other officer who may have had direct or indirect involvement in the events leading to the death of the detainee. The NPS added that the officers will face additional disciplinary or legal action depending on the findings of the ongoing investigations.
The deceased Albert Ojwang was a digital content creator with a large following on social media. According to police initial reports, one account said Ojwang died upon arrival at Mbagathi Hospital while another said he died while still at Central Police Station. These contradictions have raised public concern and demands for transparency from human rights organisations and civil society groups.
Among those calling for a thorough and impartial investigation are the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). IPOA has already started its own investigation and NPS has assured of full cooperation. A summary of the NPS communication stated: *”To facilitate a thorough, impartial and expeditious investigation by IPOA into the death of Albert Ojwang, the Inspector General has ordered the immediate interdiction of all officers on duty at Central Police Station during the incident.”*More questions have been raised on the medical response, including why Mbagathi Hospital which is far from Central Police Station was chosen for referral instead of closer institutions like Kenyatta National Hospital. Also the mode of transport used to take Ojwang to the hospital has not been disclosed and whether an ambulance was used.
NPS has not given details on the nature and extent of injuries Ojwang had. Meanwhile demands for release of independent postmortem report and a formal inquest into the death continue to grow.
Ojwang’s death has sparked public outrage especially on X (formerly Twitter) where people are expressing dissatisfaction with police conduct and transparency. Calls for accountability are getting louder with several online commentators and civil society groups threatening to hold public demos and vigils outside the Central Police Station if a full account of what happened is not given.
NPS has reiterated its commitment to due process and accountability saying the interdictions are in line with the Service’s internal disciplinary framework and in support of external oversight mechanisms.
IPOA investigations are ongoing and findings will be released once forensic analysis is done, witness interviews are completed and postmortem is out.
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IG Kanja Interdicts Police Officers Linked to Albert Ojwang Custodial Death