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The investigation into the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang has taken a new twist after the arrest of three civilian detainees who police officers allegedly used to assault him while in custody.
The trio, who were being held at Nairobi’s Central Police Station when Ojwang was booked in, are now in separate police stations as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority prepares to arraign them on Monday.
IPOA apprehended the suspects on Sunday. They are expected in court on Monday alongside Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Taalam, who is already in custody at Lang’ata Police Station.
Nairobi’s Central Police Station
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Sources close to the investigation suggest the three civilians were released under mysterious circumstances following the fatal incident, raising suspicions of a cover-up.
IPOA officials have indicated the arrests are directly linked to the ongoing murder probe.
The suspects’ lawyer confirmed they were initially held under a miscellaneous application for five days before being set free.
“We have not been informed of the specific charges, only that the arrests relate to the death of Ojwang,” the lawyer stated.
Meanwhile, IPOA has made significant progress in retrieving critical CCTV footage, portions of which had been tampered with in what appears to be an attempt to destroy evidence.
CCTV camera at Nairobi Central Police Station
Investigators are now working to reconstruct a 36-hour timeline using the recovered material.
Additionally, two police officers who were captured on CCTV transporting Ojwang’s lifeless body to Mbagathi Hospital are still at large.
One of them has been identified as Deputy OCS Samuel Ng’ang’a, the officer on duty the night Ojwang died.
The ongoing probe continues to unearth a deeply troubling pattern of custodial abuse and police complicity.
Nairobi Central Police Station OCS Samson Talam
Nairobi Central OCS Defends Himself
Central Police Station OCS Samson Talam, initially implicated and interdicted, has now publicly defended himself.
Through his lawyer Danstan Omari, he insisted he was not on duty at the station during Ojwang’s booking or at Mbagathi when the death was confirmed, claiming he had handed over responsibility to his deputy.
Taalam has vowed to legally clear his name and challenge the prosecution, arguing he is being framed.
Mbagathi Hospital CCTV Exposes Police Complicity
Meanwhile, newly obtained CCTV footage from Mbagathi Hospital has cast fresh doubt on the police’s official account of events leading to Ojwang’s death.
The footage shows a Nairobi Central Police Station vehicle arriving at the hospital’s casualty department with Ojwang’s body in the backseat.
However, instead of immediately alerting medical personnel, the officers appear calm and unhurried.
One officer is seen walking away from the scene to make a phone call, while another lingers around the vehicle.
CCTV footage from Mbagathi Hospital
Critically, no effort is made to rush Ojwang into the hospital or call for emergency attention, despite his apparent lack of consciousness.
For 24 minutes, the vehicle remained parked outside the hospital casualty wing with Ojwang unresponsive in the backseat.
This delay, captured on security footage, directly contradicts earlier police claims that Ojwang fell ill suddenly while in custody and was rushed to the hospital in a medical emergency.
Instead, the footage paints a picture of deliberate inaction, suggesting the officers either knew he was already dead or did not prioritise his life.
The footage has now become a pivotal piece of evidence in IPOA’s investigation, strengthening the theory that not only was Ojwang subjected to torture in custody, but that his death may have been followed by attempts to delay or obscure the truth about how and when he died.