Top security bosses from the Nyanza Regional office in Kisumu arrived in Rachuonyo, Homa Bay County, ahead of the planned burial event of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang.
Ojwang was killed at
the Nairobi Central police cells on June 7 after his arrest in Homa Bay.
A mob attacked and
burnt the Mawego police station on Thursday afternoon as the body of Ojwang arrived
in the village.
This prompted the
Regional Security Committee, led by Nyanza Regional Commissioner Florence Mworia, accompanied by the Regional Police Commander Gisiri Nyamohanga, to visit the
scene.
Officials from the regional Independent Policing Oversight Authority also accompanied them.
The Regional
Commissioner ordered a thorough investigation into the attack.
It emerged that the
group of mourners commandeered the hearse to the police station and were later
joined by a group of students from a local polytechnic.
The crowd surged and
turned unruly, prompting police to lob teargas canisters in vain.
They later walked
into and out of the station carrying the casket as another group remained
behind ransacking the station.
They set the Officer
Commanding Station’s office and the report office on fire, flattening them.
Some stole the flag
posts, the police and national flags, together with the station signage, as they
escaped the scene amid teargas canisters.
Police living near
there said their houses were looted. No injuries were reported and the armoury
was found to be safe, police said.
Ojwang will be
buried on July 4 at his rural home, and tension was high in the area amid heavy
police deployments.
Following the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat stepped aside on June 16, pending the outcome of investigations into the death of Ojwang.
In a statement, Lagat said he was stepping aside in the “good and conscious thought” that his responsibilities as Deputy Inspector General would allow for independent investigations by IPOA.
So far, at least six persons have been charged with the murder of Ojwang, among them Central Police OCS Samson Talam and Police Constable James Mukhwana.
Talaam, Mukhwana, Peter Kimani, John Ginge Gitau, Gin Ammitou Abwao, and Brian Mwaniki Njue jointly murdered Ojwang on the night of June 7th and 8th, 2025, at Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Talaam, Mukwana and Kimani are police officers. The accused, who appeared before Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, denied the charges.
The DPP strongly opposed the release of the accused on bail or bond, citing several compelling reasons.
The court heard that Talaam was the Officer
Commanding Station (OCS), and James Mukwana served as the daytime cell sentry,
while Peter Kimani was in charge the night shift cell sentry.
The matter has caused a huge outcry in parts of the country.
