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The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) today firmly refuted circulating reports that it has cleared Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eliud Lagat, in its ongoing investigation into the death of Albert Ojwang in police custody in June.
In a statement on Monday, IPOA Chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan declared that the investigation is far from over and that suggestions of Lagat's exoneration are "misleading."
"IPOA launched investigations into the late Albert Ojwang’s death in police custody on 8th June, 2025," Mr. Hassan's statement started.
Preliminary investigations identified some suspects who have since been arraigned in court. IPOA’s investigation is still active and therefore the reports that the authority has exonerated Mr. Lagat are misleading.
Ahmed Issack Hassan, IPOA Chairperson.
The chairperson assured the public that the authority would pursue all leads and hold any and all responsible parties to account, regardless of their rank.
"If the investigations find him culpable, IPOA will make appropriate recommendations to hold him to account," the statement concluded, referring to the Deputy Inspector General.
The death of Albert Ojwang while in police custody at Nairobi Central Police Station sparked significant public outcry and renewed protests against police brutality in Nairobi.
Initial police reports claimed Ojwang had died after hitting his head on a wall, a claim his family and human rights organisations immediately contested, alleging he was tortured.
The case has become a major test for Kenya's police accountability mechanisms. The involvement, or even the rumoured involvement, of a high-ranking officer like the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Eliud Lagat, has intensified public scrutiny on the investigation.
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Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service, Eliud Kipkoech Lagat
Status of Key Figures and Proceedings
At least six individuals, including the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Central Police Station Samson Talam, other police officers, and several inmates, have been arrested in connection with Ojwang's death.
On June 24, 2025, all six suspects pleaded not guilty to murder charges at the Kibra Law Courts. They were remanded in police custody until a bail hearing scheduled for July 30, 2025.
The prosecution has opposed their release on bail, citing concerns of evidence tampering and witness interference.
DIG Lagat, who filed the initial complaint against Ojwang for an alleged defamatory social media post, "stepped aside" from his duties on June 16, 2025, to allow for an impartial investigation.
He has since been summoned by and has recorded a statement with IPOA investigators.
An official autopsy report contradicted initial police claims of self-harm, finding that Ojwang died from severe head injuries and neck compression consistent with an assault.
Albert Omondi Ojwang
This has led to intense scrutiny of the National Police Service and widespread calls for justice from civil society and international human rights organisations.
IPOA, a civilian-led oversight body, was established under the National Police Service Act to provide oversight over the work of the police.
Its mandate includes investigating deaths and serious injuries that occur in police custody, as well as investigating police misconduct committed by any member of the service.