The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Ingonga, has told the High Court that the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang was a premeditated killing and not an accident as initially claimed by police.
During the opening of the murder trial before Justice Diana Kavedza on Monday, July 20, 2026, prosecutors dismissed earlier assertions that Ojwang died after hitting his head against a cell wall or suffering a medical emergency while in custody at Nairobi Central Police Station.
The prosecution argued that Ojwang was deliberately tortured, assaulted with a blunt object, and strangled to death. According to the DPP, the evidence points to a coordinated plot, with a former co-accused officer allegedly confessing that instructions had been issued to mobilise cellmates to attack Ojwang upon his arrival at the station.
State prosecutors further alleged that CCTV footage was deleted and the station's Digital Video Recorder (DVR) was formatted in an attempt to conceal the killing. However, they said forensic evidence and expert testimony would be presented to reconstruct the events surrounding Ojwang's death.
Medical findings presented in court revealed severe blunt force injuries to the head, compression of the neck, and multiple soft-tissue injuries. Pathologists concluded that the injuries were inflicted over a prolonged period, ruling out the possibility of self-inflicted harm.
The trial is proceeding against six accused persons, including former Nairobi Central Police Station OCS Samson Tallam, two police officers, and three civilians. All six have denied the murder charges and remain in custody as the case continues.
Source Attributed: Nation Newspaper