The late Albert Ojwang’s father has spoken to the media for the first time since the mysterious death of his son while in custody at Central Police Station in Nairobi on Sunday.
Standing just outside the station gates, his voice low and filled with sorrow, he shared a painful account of what happened.
It all began in Homa Bay when his son was arrested and ended with devastating news that still does not make sense to him.
He said it started at their home when four armed men arrived without warning. They were not in uniform and did not show any form of identification. They simply came in and took his son. One of them asked him to follow them to the nearby police post.
He followed. At the station, he found Albert in a back room being questioned. He looked calm. The officers said he had posted something on social media that accused a senior police officer of corruption.
They refused to give a name but insisted it was a serious matter. They told him Albert would be transferred to Nairobi and gave him a phone number for updates.
Late Albert Ojwang posses for a photograph during a past event
Worried for his son, he boarded a matatu that night. He arrived in Nairobi around four in the morning and went straight to Central Police Station.
By seven o’clock he was outside the station. He signed into the Occurrence Book and was told to wait for thirty minutes. When he returned to the desk later, an officer told him the headcount of detainees was still going on.
He was asked to take a short break. Maybe go into town and have some tea, then return after two hours. He was promised he would get to see his son.
He found a small kiosk across the road and sat down with a cup of tea. But before the two hours passed, he received a call to return to the station.
This time, he was not met by officers but by the station chaplain alongside the officers who arrested his son in Migori yesterday on Saturday.
The chaplain looked at him quietly and then delivered the words that changed everything. Albert had died during the night. He was told that his son took his own life but wasn’t informed by which means.
Police DIG Eliud Langat during a past media presser
He paused as he recalled that moment. His hands trembled slightly.
“But in the morning they had promised I would see him. If he died in the night, why did no one say anything earlier. Why let me sit there waiting. Why lie,” Ojwang’s father told the media.
Meanwhile according to blogger Cyprian Nyakundi, People who had spoken to Albert after his arrest say he appeared calm and steady. There was no sign that he was struggling or suicidal.
Albert had recently shared a series of social media posts claiming that Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Langat was running a bribery syndicate.
That notwithstanding, another influencer named Kelvin Moinde from Kisii who had also shared similar information has also been arrested.