The head of the main police station in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, has been detained over the killing of a young blogger in police custody, independent investigators say.
As well as Officer Commanding Station Samson Talam, another policeman, PC James Mukhwana, plus a technician accused of disabling the station’s CCTV, have also been arrested.
Albert Ojwang’s death sparked protests after doctors refuted a police claim he had died from self-inflicted injuries caused by hitting his head on a cell wall.
Instead they concluded that it was likely the result of an assault.
At least 23 people have been questioned and five others removed from active duty while an independent investigation takes place.
Mr Ojwang, 31, died in police custody last weekend after he was arrested over a post on X that was allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat.
In an initial statement, police said Mr Ojwang was found unconscious in his cell and rushed him to a city hospital, where he succumbed to head injuries allegedly sustained from banging his head against the wall.
But an autopsy report and an investigation by the police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), ruled out the possibility that Mr Ojwang might have killed himself.
Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja has since retracted the earlier statement and apologised for what he called “misinformation” from his juniors.
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On Friday, PC Mukhwana made an initial appearance in court and will now remain in custody until his bail hearing in a week.
Preliminary investigations allege that PC Mukhwana and other suspects at large were “likely involved in the planning and execution” of Mr Ojwang’s killing, including tampering with CCTV to attempt to cover up what happened, court papers submitted by detectives show.
PC Mukhwana is yet to respond to the accusations, but his lawyer asked the court to grant him bail, saying the constable willingly submitted himself to the authorities when summoned.
Police on Friday also arrested a technician who is suspected to have disabled the surveillance system in Central Police Station, effectively obscuring potential evidence about Mr Ojwang’s killing, local media reported.
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters angered by the killing took to the streets of Nairobi calling for the resignation of Deputy Inspector-General Lagat.
He is facing mounting pressure from the public, opposition leaders and civil society groups to step aside or be suspended.
President William Ruto has called for a swift investigations and promised on Friday that his government would “protect citizens from rogue police officers”.
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