Where are the big fish? Albert Ojwang family asks of murder probe, arrests
From left: The late Albert Ojwang's father Meshack Opiyo, his mother Eucabeth Adhiambo Ojwang, and his widow Nevinina Onyango Omondi when they visited the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) offices in Nairobi on June 13, 2025.
The family of Albert Ojwang, the teacher who was murdered while in police custody in Nairobi, has expressed dissatisfaction with the pace and direction of the investigations into his death.
Speaking outside the offices of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on Friday, the family's lawyer, Julius Juma, criticised the arrest and arraignment of a police constable, saying it was insufficient.
While acknowledging that arrests had been made in the past 24 hours, Mr Juma took issue with what he described as a superficial approach to justice.
“We take note of that, but we wish to say that a police constable is the junior-most officer in the hierarchy of the police and does not have control or does not run a police station,” Mr Juma said. “What that means, therefore, is that we expect much more from these investigations. We expect to see more senior people taking responsibility.”
Police Constable James Mukhwana was arrested and arraigned on Friday. IPOA said he was on shift on the day of the incident. Central Police Station OCS Samson Taalam was also arrested on Friday.
James Mukhwana, the main suspect in the murder of Albert Ojwang arraigned at Milimani Law Court on June 13, 2025, as IPOA seeks to detain him for 21 days to allow investigation.
According to Juma, the arrest of a junior officer does not go far enough.
“We expect to see more senior people taking responsibility. We expect to see people who are the masterminds of this heinous act that took the life of our brother [Albert] taking responsibility,” said Mr Juma who was flanked by Albert’s parents, wife and activists.
He further reiterated that the family was not ready to settle for scapegoats.
“We do not want to be hoodwinked by the arrest of a junior officer and then be told that investigations have been conducted and that is the gentleman that has been found culpable. So the family believes that there are more people, there are seriously senior people who must certainly take responsibility.”
The immediate family of Albert, he said, was summoned by the IPOA to record their statements.
“We have given IPOA all the detailed information we have. It’s now back to them [to act on it],” he said. “I wish to confirm also that the statements of the immediate family members, the father, the mother, the wife of the deceased and an uncle, have been taken.”
“We expect all the investigative agencies of the state, especially IPOA, to take lead in this matter and may heads roll,” he added.
The lawyer said the family had spent the better part of their day at the IPOA offices in Nairobi, going through the process of giving their statements, which were being typed and would be proofread before being signed.
Albert's uncle was also present and reinforced the family’s unified stance in demanding full accountability for the teacher’s death.
A photo of Voi-based teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody.
As investigations continue, the family remains firm in its call for justice, one that goes beyond the arrest of junior officers to holding senior command responsible for what they describe as a coordinated and deliberate act of violence.
A technician who tampered with the controls of the CCTV has been arrested, with IPOA saying he was paid Sh3000 for the job. However, Vocal Africa’s Khalid Hussein called for more to be done.
“Who paid him? Who called him?” said Mr Hussein. “We expect to see senior officers arrested.”
Growing calls to apprehend the killers of a teacher murdered in police custody Thursday snowballed into a national security crisis on Thursday that plunged Nairobi city centre into hours of chaos.