The Isaack Hassan led Independent Policing Oversight Authority IPOA is once again at the centre of public fury.
This time it is accused of shielding Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat in the murder investigation of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang.
What has left Kenyans stunned is how IPOA which was created to serve as a watchdog now appears to be protecting those it should be holding accountable.
The same institution that paraded junior police officers before cameras for questioning over Ojwang’s death has now chosen to question DIG Lagat in secret. Off camera. Behind closed doors. Away from the public eye.
Police DIG Eliud Langat during a past media presser
No journalist saw Lagat arrive or leave. No press briefing. No photos. No answers.
This sudden shift in how IPOA conducts its investigations has sparked outrage. Many Kenyans now believe the authority may be part of a larger plan to protect the powerful and bury the truth.
The first signs of something suspicious started when IPOA chair Isaack Hassan appeared at a press conference alongside Inspector General Douglas Kanja and DIG Lagat. This was just days after Albert Ojwang died mysteriously in a police cell at Central Police Station in Nairobi.
At that briefing Kenyans were told a disturbing lie. That Ojwang had hit himself against a wall and died. That story fell apart quickly. But no one explained why it was told in the first place. And no one has been held accountable for it.
Late Albert Ojwang posses for a photograph during a past event
Now weeks later DIG Lagat who had personally filed a complaint that led to Ojwang’s arrest is being questioned by IPOA in a way that raises more questions than answers.
While over 20 other officers have recorded statements in public view Lagat’s interrogation was done in silence and darkness. No transparency. No accountability.
Human rights activists are outraged. One senior advocate said if this is not a cover up then it is the best imitation of one.
Why would the man who triggered the arrest and who holds power over police investigators be treated like a VIP suspect.
