Senators Demand Immediate Arrest of Deputy IG Lagat Over Death of Albert Ojwang’ in Police Custody
A fiery session in the Senate on Tuesday saw senators demand the immediate arrest of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Kipkoech Lagat following the suspicious death of Albert Ojwang’ while in police custody.
The calls for accountability came after Migori Senator Eddy Oketch asked the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations to provide a statement on the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death. Ojwang, a Homa Bay County resident, was arrested on Saturday and died the next day in Nairobi under unclear circumstances.
During the debate, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale demanded swift and decisive action against senior police officials including Lagat. “We must instil fear in the government for the State to respect human life. It’s not enough to ask the Deputy IG to resign,” he said, urging Lagat be arrested and be required to record a statement from the police station to understand the gravity of his responsibility.
Other senators including Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei echoed Khalwale’s sentiments and called for a judicial inquiry into reports of extrajudicial killings by the police. “Heads must roll,” Cherargei said, naming the Interior Cabinet Secretary, the Inspector General of Police and other officials including the OCS Homa Bay and Safaricom which allegedly provided Ojwang’s location before he was arrested.
Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ called for Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen to resign and partly blamed Parliament for the situation. “This man did not die, he was killed by the police. The Minister of Interior under these circumstances should have resigned,” he said, referencing Parliament’s earlier approval of the police leadership during vetting.
Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot criticized what he termed as performative outrage from his colleagues. “We have abetted these kinds of crimes for too long. If you whine, what do you expect the young people to do?” he asked, calling for tangible legislative and oversight action rather than empty statements.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka pointed out Ojwang’s previous social media posts which allegedly exposed corruption within the police force. “What was Ojwang’ discussing that made this man kill him? It’s corruption,” Onyonka said, pointing to systemic governance failures.Ojwang’s arrest and death has sparked national outrage. Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja initially said Ojwang died after hitting his head against a wall. But a postmortem examination by Government pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia has contradicted the official account. The autopsy showed Ojwang had multiple injuries consistent with assault including trauma not consistent with self harm.
“When we examined the pattern of the injury especially the trauma on the head, it was not consistent with hitting a wall,” Dr. Midia said.
As pressure mounts on the police leadership and Interior Ministry, the Senate is expected to conduct further investigations with resignations and arrests looming. The case has reopened national conversations on police brutality, accountability and governance in Kenya.
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Senators Demand Immediate Arrest of Deputy IG Lagat Over Death of Albert Ojwang’ in Police Custody