Questions abound over death of Albert Ojwang after being arrested by DCI detectives

Questions are mounting over the actual circumstances under which Albert Ojwang, a famous social media commentator died hours after being arrested by sleuths by detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in connection to a social media post.

Ojwang was picked up by police officers in Kakot, Homa Bay County on yesterday afternoon, driven to Nairobi and detained at Central Police Station in Nairobi before reports of his abrupt demise came public today morning.

The DCI officers are said to have been probing him over a post he allegedly made on the social media platform X.

However, when his family arrived at the police station today to follow up on the case, they found he was dead.

“We awaited his arraignment in court on Monday so we can follow up the case from there. But today, his father who came to follow up after the arrest informed me his son was dead. It is quite unfortunate,” a lawyer for the family told reporters outside the police station.

They said police told them Albert’s body had been taken to City Mortuary.

“One does not deserve to lose their life; there is the law and we expected the boy to be processed normally and charged then if found guilty, punished according to the law,” the lawyer added.

Meshack Opiyo, Albert’s father, broke down as he narrated how his only child was arrested at their home while having lunch with the family after returning from the farm.

“He was arrested and taken to Mawego police station, then later at night, he was transferred to Nairobi. The arresting police told me Albert had insulted a senior person on X,” Opiyo said.

Upon arrival in Nairobi on Sunday, he said officers at Central Police Station told him his son died from self-inflicted injuries after hitting himself against the wall.

Opiyo cast doubt on the police’s claims, calling for an urgent investigation.