He was scared! Albert Ojwang’s widow speaks on last call

The widow of slain teacher and influencer Albert Ojwang has opened up about their final phone conversation, saying her husband sounded frightened while in police custody at Central Police Station in Nairobi.

Speaking during a press briefing on Saturday, Nevenina Onyango described how Ojwang, who had been arrested and transferred from Kisumu, remained in touch throughout his journey with police officers.

But she said something changed when he arrived in Nairobi.

“He stayed in touch throughout the journey, but something changed that night,” Nevenina said.

 “My last call with him was around 9 p.m. at Central Police Station, and he sounded scared.”

Nevenina recalled that earlier in the journey, Ojwang sounded relatively calm.

“Along the way he sounded just okay. I even asked him if he had taken anything. He told me the officers had bought him some snacks.”

But according to Nevenina, everything shifted once they arrived in the city.

“When they reached Central Police Station, he sounded a bit worried. He wasn't really okay, and he wasn't talking well. Like he was just afraid,” she said.

In that final call, Ojwang asked about their son. Nevenina now wonders whether, deep down, he sensed he might not make it back home.

“The son has heard people crying and mentioning Omondi, and he knows Omondi is his dad,” she said.

 “So at some point he even asked me, ‘I’ve heard people crying saying daddy has died. Has he died?’ But I’ve just been trying to manage him by saying that is not the case.”

Ojwang’s parents, Mzee Meshack Opiyo and Mama Margaret Achieng, also attended the press briefing.

The family said they have not yet finalised burial plans as they continue to pursue justice.

They indicated that burial arrangements will be announced soon.