A protected prosecution witness on Monday testified before the High Court that he was instructed by former Central Police Station Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Talaam and another officer identified only as “AA” to format the station’s Digital Video Recorder (DVR), erasing CCTV footage recorded around the time Albert Omondi Ojwang died in police custody.
The witness, identified in court only as Dan to protect his identity, was the second prosecution witness in the murder trial facing Talaam and five co-accused.
Earlier, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), while outlining its case, told the court it would prove that Ojwang was delivered to Central Police Station alive following his arrest but was found dead the following morning after allegedly being assaulted while in custody.
The prosecution further stated that it would rely on forensic evidence, post-mortem findings, CCTV analysis and witness testimony to demonstrate that Ojwang’s fatal injuries were inconsistent with the initial police account that he died after hitting his head against a wall.
The State also alleged the accused persons later took deliberate steps to conceal the circumstances surrounding his death.
Taking the stand, the protected witness told the court he installed the CCTV surveillance system at Central Police Station in 2024 and was therefore familiar with the DVR system and its passwords.
He testified that on June 8, 2025, he received a call from an individual identified as “AA”, who requested him to report to Central Police Station. Upon arrival, he found AA together with former OCS Samson Talaam in the OCS’s office.
The witness said the two asked him to retrieve CCTV footage recorded on June 6 and 7, 2025.
However, he informed them that selectively retrieving footage for only those dates was not possible unless the DVR system was formatted.
According to the witness, he was then instructed to proceed with formatting the system.
He told the court that he accessed the DVR using a password he already knew because he had personally installed the surveillance equipment, including the DVR, cameras and hard drives.
After formatting the system, the witness testified that he checked whether footage for June 6 and 7 still existed and confirmed recordings had been made, although he did not view their contents.
“I informed AA and the OCS that there was recorded footage,” the witness testified.
He added that he then erased the hard drive before being paid s3,000 by Talaam for the work and leaving the station.
The witness further testified that the following day, June 9, 2025, AA called him again and instructed him to return to Central Police Station with two new hard disks.
He told the court he was specifically instructed not to wear his work reflector while reporting to the station.
Upon arrival, however, he was informed that the hard disks were no longer required.
Instead, he handed the sealed hard disks to another individual he found in AA’s office, who allegedly paid him Sh20,000 in cash.
The witness told the court he was later contacted by investigators from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) before being arrested by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on June 13, 2025.
He was subsequently taken to IPOA offices, where he recorded a statement.
During cross-examination, the witness acknowledged that hard disks can sometimes become damaged during recording and confirmed he was not under an exclusive maintenance contract for the CCTV system at Central Police Station, but was engaged whenever his services were needed.
Former OCS Samson Talaam and his five co-accused have denied the murder charge. The hearing continues before the High Court.
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