Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Chairperson Isaack Hassan has firmly stated that the authority will not be used to whitewash the ongoing investigation into the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang, who died in police custody.
Addressing the National Assembly Committee on Security on Thursday, June 12, 2025, Hassan dismissed any suggestion that IPOA was shielding officers implicated in the case.
“IPOA is not going to be used as a fire extinguisher to extinguish all fires generated from police misconduct,” Hassan said. “We are not going to be used as a cover-up.”
Investigations
Hassan told the committee that IPOA is close to concluding its investigation, but emphasised that the process must be thorough and impartial.
He reassured lawmakers and the public that the agency is committed to following the evidence and holding those responsible accountable, regardless of rank.
“We have not yet completed it, but we are very close to,” he said. “We are going to talk to everyone involved in this matter, get all the evidence, and recommend prosecution of anyone involved in this death, no matter their station.”
Police urged to cooperate
Hassan also warned police officers against obstructing IPOA’s work, stating that failure to cooperate would have consequences.
He emphasized that the agency views every individual involved in Ojwang’s detention and transfer, from the point of arrest in Homa Bay to his death in Nairobi, as a potential suspect in a murder investigation.
“Everyone, from the one who arrested him in Homa Bay to the person who took him to the mortuary, is going to be a suspect of murder,” he warned.
He called on all officers stationed at Central Police Station to fully cooperate and disclose all relevant information to investigators.
CCTV evidence tampered
Separately, IPOA Vice Chairperson Ann Wanjiku, speaking during a Senate plenary session on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, revealed that IPOA officers discovered the CCTV system at Central Police Station had been tampered with.
Wanjiku said the CCTV power cable was found unplugged, and once reconnected, the system resumed working, indicating it was functional at the time of Ojwang’s detention.
“It is very clear that the CCTV was working. But when our investigators arrived, the power cable was not connected. Upon connection, the system powered up,” she said.
Attempts to retrieve footage from the day of Ojwang’s death yielded no results, suggesting data may have been intentionally erased or the hard disk removed. IPOA has referred the matter to forensic experts for possible recovery.
Wanjiku also disclosed that the authority is investigating claims by DCI Director Mohammed Amin that Ojwang was allowed to call his wife while in custody as part of verifying the full timeline of events leading to his death.
