The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) is considering summoning Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat in the ongoing probe into the death of Albert Ojwang.
While formal summons are yet to be issued, sources close to the investigation confirmed that the agency is keen to record Lagat’s statement.
“We are considering summoning him,” a source who requested not to be named intimated to the Star.
According to the official, Lagat’s statement would be crucial to the ongoing probe.
Lagat voluntarily stepped aside from office on Monday, June 16, citing the ongoing investigation into the incident.
In a statement released that day, Lagat said his decision was made in “good and conscious thought” of his responsibilities.
“I have today opted to step aside... pending completion of investigations,” he stated.
His principal assistant, the former Nyanza regional police commander, Patrick Tito, is currently acting on his behalf.
Ojwang allegedly died after being assaulted while in police custody at Nairobi’s Central Police Station.
He was being probed over a post on his social media handles.
Some suspects are currently in custody. No formal charges have been levelled against them.
Inspector General Douglas Kanja told Senators on June 11 that the probe started when online posts claimed DIG Lagat was involved in corruption within the National Police Service (NPS).
Kanja said the process began on June 4, 2025, when Lagat filed a formal complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The complaint concerned a series of posts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) accusing Langat of corrupt activities within the National Police Service.
The case was filed under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, and a team of five officers was assigned to investigate.
On the same day, Senior Superintendent Hillary Mutai, who heads the Serious Crimes Unit, recorded Langat’s statement at Vigilance House.
The investigators also wrote to the EACC to verify the claims made in the social media posts and reached out to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) to request registration details and preservation of content from the X account in question.
CAK responded, confirming the account was active and had approximately 13,400 followers.
The EACC also replied on June 4, clarifying that Langat was not under any investigation. Kanja stated that investigators concluded the allegations lacked factual basis, but CAK directly linked the X posts to specific individuals, including the late Ojwang.
