Albert Ojwang entered Nairobi’s Central Police Station alive. He left in a body bag.
A police station should protect life. It must never become a torture chamber. A uniform is not a licence to kill, while police custody cannot be turned into a death sentence.
Those who killed Ojwang betrayed their duty, the Constitution and the Kenyan people. Anyone who helped conceal the truth committed a further attack on justice.
CCTV was erased, but the truth remains
Fresh testimony has exposed disturbing details about the station’s surveillance system.
A protected witness told the High Court that three people were captured near the cells. They later appeared to carry a heavy object towards the last cell. The witness could not identify the object.
A CCTV technician also testified that the digital video recorder was disconnected from power. He concluded that it had probably been formatted because the missing footage could not be recovered. Capital FM reported the court testimony.
The prosecution says Ojwang was assaulted with a blunt object and strangled. That account contradicts the original police explanation that he injured himself by hitting his head against a wall. The Standard reported the prosecution’s case.
Deleting CCTV footage cannot delete a human life. It cannot erase the suffering of Ojwang’s family. It cannot remove the State’s responsibility to explain how a citizen died inside a guarded police station.
Justice must reach everyone involved
Six people are facing trial and have pleaded not guilty. The court will determine their individual responsibility.
However, investigations must reach every person who ordered, executed, facilitated or concealed the killing. Those who interfered with evidence must also be held accountable.
There should be no scapegoats. Junior officers must not carry the burden while senior decision-makers escape scrutiny. The two unidentified people reportedly captured near the cells must be traced.
Witnesses must receive full protection. Prosecutors must be allowed to present their evidence without interference. The proceedings must remain transparent and free from political pressure.
Ojwang was a blogger, teacher, husband and father. His criticism of powerful people did not cancel his constitutional rights.
His killers deserve no protection, sympathy or institutional cover. Kenya must demonstrate that no police station is beyond the law and no uniform places its wearer above justice.
The message must be unmistakable: Ojwang’s life mattered. His family deserves answers. His killers must face justice.