Group burns Mawego police station in Homa Bay over Ojwang’s death

A group of mourners stormed and burnt down a section of a police station where teacher Albert Ojwang was briefly held before he was moved to Nairobi for further processing.

Ojwang died at the Central police station in Nairobi after a brutal assault by police and civilians. He had been arrested from his rural home and held briefly at the Mawego police station.

He was then moved to Nairobi where he died. This has caused a huge storm.

On Thursday, an angry group that accompanied the body to the village ahead of the burial turned violent and set the station on fire.

This happened as police on duty took cover. Police watched from a distance amid the chaos. The mourners had visited the station as a formality as they carried the casket of the teacher while headed to his home.

As they left, another group remained behind and set the section of the station on fire. They said they were angry at the killing of Ojwang.

Ojwang is set to be buried on Friday July 4.

Following the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat stepped aside on June 16, pending the outcome of investigations into the death of Ojwang.

Lagat faced mounting pressure from opposition figures and human rights groups following Ojwang’s death. In a statement, Lagat said he was stepping aside in the “good and conscious thought” of his responsibilities as Deputy Inspector General, to allow for independent investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

So far, at least six persons have been charged with the murder of Ojwang, among them Central Police OCS Samson Talam and Police Constable James Mukhwana.

Talaam, Mukhwana, Peter Kimani, John Ginge Gitau, Gin Ammitou Abwao, and Brian Mwaniki Njue jointly murdered Mr. Ojwang on the night of June 7th and 8th, 2025, at Central Police Station in Nairobi.

Talaam, Mukwana and Kimani are police officers.

The accused, who appeared before Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, denied the charges. The DPP strongly opposed the release of the accused on bail or bond, citing several compelling reasons.

The court heard that Talaam was the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), and James Mukwana served as the daytime cell sentry, while Peter Kimani was in charge the night shift cell sentry, and John Gitau, a police officer under investigation for a separate murder case, had been detained at Central Police Station at the time of the incident.

Prosecution argued that granting bail to the accused would likely lead to interference with witnesses and ongoing investigations.

It was further submitted that the accused, being serving police officers, possess significant operational knowledge, access to firearms, and influence over internal police systems, including familiarity with witnesses and records — all of which could be used to compromise the case.

Additionally, Prosecution highlighted the widespread public outrage and protests that followed the killing, noting that releasing the accused could lead to further unrest and threaten public peace and order.

The DPP urged the court to find that Prosecution had presented compelling reasons under Article 49(1)(h) of the Constitution to deny bail.