Kenyans flooded the streets of Nairobi on Thursday, demanding justice for Albert Ojwang, a political blogger who died in police custody beneath extremely disputed circumstances.
Ojwang, 31, was arrested on June 6 in Homa Bay, western Kenya, for allegedly spreading false details about Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow.
Police transported him 400 kilometers to Nairobi, the place he died days later at Central Police Station – officers initially claimed he fatally “hit his head against the cell wall.”
But that model is collapsing.
A authorities pathologist’s report contradicted the police narrative, citing head trauma, neck compression, and delicate tissue accidents in keeping with assault.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched a proper investigation and recognized 5 officers concerned in Ojwang’s arrest and switch.
“This was not suicide,” Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja instructed a Senate listening to on Wednesday, retracting earlier claims. He issued a uncommon public apology on behalf of the police power.
President William Ruto, beneath rising public strain, broke his silence midweek:
”This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” Ruto stated. “We must follow the investigation with vigilance, without rushing to judgement.”
But the streets have already judged.
Protesters blocked roads resulting in Parliament as Kenya’s nationwide finances was being tabled. At least two automobiles have been torched close to the town heart, and police deployed tear fuel in chaotic scenes echoing final yr’s lethal finance invoice protests.
Ojwang’s demise has develop into a flashpoint within the nation’s lengthy battle with police violence. His remaining publish had criticized high-ranking police officers – one in every of many he wrote addressing Kenya’s political and social fault traces. He by no means acquired an opportunity to publish once more.
On June 8, two days after his arrest, he was taken to a Nairobi hospital and declared useless. IPOA officers attended the post-mortem and confirmed accidents incompatible with the preliminary police claims.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen promised accountability.
“We are committed to ensuring that everyone involved in this crime is brought to justice – without interference from any quarter,” he instructed lawmakers.
Rights teams, already on edge after a string of enforced disappearances and killings, say Ojwang’s case matches a disturbing sample of repression beneath Ruto’s administration.
The president, elected on reformist guarantees, now faces a well-known reckoning: whether or not to guard the individuals – or the system that protects his energy.
Source: www.dailysabah.com