Aasai

Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has joined a growing chorus of national voices calling for swift and transparent investigations into the death of Albert Ojwang’, a 31-year-old teacher who died while in police custody under mysterious circumstances. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and reignited calls for urgent police reforms.

Ojwang’, a trained educator from Homa Bay, was reportedly arrested over a controversial social media post allegedly targeting a senior police officer. After being picked up from his home county, he was transferred to Nairobi and detained at the Central Police Station. Days later, news of his death while in custody sent shockwaves across the country, triggering anger among Kenyans and civil rights groups.

Speaking out on the issue, Raila Odinga condemned the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death and raised grave concerns about the apparent lack of accountability within the police force. “So far, nobody knows who gave the orders for Mr. Ojwang to be arrested and transported all the way to Nairobi,” Odinga noted. “Yet that individual must answer to the people of Kenya.”

Odinga lamented that Ojwang’s death is only the latest in a disturbing trend where young, innocent Kenyans are losing their lives due to what he described as “brutal and senseless acts” perpetrated by law enforcement officers. He emphasized that such incidents are undermining public trust in the very institutions meant to protect them.

“When citizens can no longer tell the difference between police injustice and mob injustice, then we are dangerously close to national failure,” he warned, stressing that unchecked police brutality is pushing the nation toward lawlessness and public disillusionment.

Odinga further demanded urgent action from the National Police Service, stating that accountability is no longer a matter of choice but a national necessity. He urged the Inspector General and other top security officials to ensure that those responsible for Ojwang’s death are identified and prosecuted.

“The police must begin by taking responsibility and conducting an independent, thorough, and credible investigation,” Odinga stated. “There must be speedy and honest closure to this matter. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.”

As pressure mounts, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has confirmed it has launched formal investigations into the circumstances of Ojwang’s death. IPOA officials have since begun reviewing evidence and questioning police officers involved in the arrest and detention process.

In response to the public outcry, several police officers who were on duty at the Central Police Station on the night of Ojwang’s death have already been interdicted pending the outcome of the ongoing probe. This move has been welcomed as a first step toward transparency, though many, including Odinga, insist that only a full and fair judicial process will deliver justice.

Odinga reiterated his party’s commitment to ensuring justice for victims of police brutality and pledged continued oversight on cases like Ojwang’s and others that have remained unresolved since 2023.

The ODM leader called on Kenyans to remain vigilant and hold their leaders accountable, asserting that justice and human dignity must be protected for every citizen, regardless of their status. “Albert Ojwang’s life mattered. His death must not be swept under the rug,” he concluded.

As the investigation unfolds, Kenyans await answers and justice—not just for Ojwang, but for many others whose lives have ended tragically while in the custody of those entrusted to protect them.