The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has revealed that the probe into the unexplained death of Albert Ojwang’ has hit a snag because of missing key CCTV footage from the Officer Commanding Station’s (OCS) office at the Central Police Station.
While appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, IPOA Vice Chair Anne Wanjiku noted that preliminary investigations into the murder showed that footage that would have aided in piecing together the events that occurred at the police station is missing, raising more questions into the murder.
Senators are questioning why the CCTV footage is missing.
She added that the autopsy report on Ojwang’s body, together with the missing footage, rules out the possibility of suicide as earlier reported by the police.
“CCTV systems at the OCS office had been interfered with, the postmortem conducted on June 10 revealed the cause of death as head injury due to blunt force trauma, neck compression and multiple subcutaneous bruises all over the body. They rule out the theory of suicide,” she noted.
Wanjiku added that IPOA, as part of its pending tasks, has yet to forward the collected samples from the crime scene and the deceased’s body for analysis.
IPOA will also will also collect medical records and results at Mbagathi Hospital, where Ojwang’ was pronounced dead, record a statement of other potential witnesses and family members and a report for officers at the Central Police Station.
She also told Senators that Deputy Inspector General of police Eliud Lagat had made a complaint to the DCI on June 4, alleging that he suffered malicious publications on an X account with the username Pixel Pioneer.
A further probe linked the account to one Kevin Muinde, who was arrested on June 5 in Bomachoge Borabu, Kisii County and later escorted to Nairobi, where he was held in custody at the Kamukunji Police Station.
Further interrogation led to the discovery of Ojwang’ as a person of interest in the case and was apprehended on June 7 by officers now identified as Sergeants Sigei and Wesley Korir, along with Police Constables Dennis Kinyoni, Milton Mwanze, and Boniface Rapudo.
Inspector General of Police (IG) Douglas Kanja had earlier told Senators that the probe started when the online posts claimed DIG Lagat was involved in corruption within the National Police Service (NPS).
“The post claimed that he was involved in corruption within the NPS. Specifically, the published information alleged that Lagat has strategically placed his most trusted officers in charge of the DCI books desk and traffic shifts in order to control both revenue streams and intelligence flow,” Kanja said.
Kanja added that another post depicted DIG Lagat alongside Joseph Chirchir, a senior traffic commander, under the caption “EACC investigating top cop after purchase of $2.6 million home in Dubai, accompanied by Lagat’s image and the headline “Eliud Lagat mafia police”.
Following mounting pressure, Kanja interdicted the Central Police Station commander, duty officer, cell sentry, and all officers on duty to allow an impartial investigation by IPOA. ”This is standard protocol to ensure impartial investigations. IPOA is leading the process. If anyone is found culpable, they will face the law,” Kanja stated.
Ojwang was a teacher based in Voi. He had traveled home in Homabay for the weekend when the incident happened.
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