Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has confirmed that forensic experts are examining the CCTV hard drive from Central Police Station to recover missing footage related to the death of Albert Ojwang.
Speaking before the National Assembly on Thursday, June 12, 2025, Kanja said the CCTV system was operational at the station but had been deliberately interfered with. He told lawmakers that one of the CCTV cameras had its power cable unplugged, raising suspicions of foul play.
“Experts are looking at the CCTV hard drive to reconstruct footage. I believe the investigators are going to get a lot of information. We are also going to get to know who unplugged the camera from the power source,” Kanja told MPs.
CCTV footage erased
His remarks follow concerns raised by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), whose investigations revealed that the CCTV system had been tampered with and its contents erased.
Appearing before a special Senate plenary session on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, IPOA Vice Chairperson Ann Wanjiku disclosed that when their team arrived at the station, the CCTV was off. Officers found the power cable disconnected from the socket.
Once it was reconnected, the system came back on, a clear sign it had been intentionally shut down.
However, when investigators attempted to retrieve footage from the day Ojwang was held, they found nothing.
“Our forensic experts confirmed that the CCTV was working, but it had been tampered with. There was no footage from the previous day. Whether data recovery will be successful will depend on whether the hard disk was removed or it was erased,” Wanjiku revealed.
Wanjiku added that IPOA had handed over the equipment to data recovery specialists and that the outcome would depend on the extent of the damage.
IPOA also confirmed that more officers have been interrogated and their statements recorded as part of the investigation into Ojwang’s death.
Arresting officers
While at the Senate, Wanjiku also revealed the names of officers involved in the arrest of Ojwang.
She said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) received a complaint from Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat through a letter dated June 4 (ref: KPSACCPOL VOL2 72). Lagat claimed he was being targeted by false allegations from an X user named “Pixel Pioneer” and asked police to identify the individual behind the account.
The case was forwarded to the Serious Crimes Unit the same day, which traced the account to Kelvin Muinde. He was arrested on June 5 in Bomachoge Borabu and taken to Kamukunji Police Station in Nairobi.
“On the same day, the complaint was referred to the serious crime unit for investigations, and they established the owner of it as Kelvin Muinde. On June 5, Kelvin Muinde was arrested in Bomachoge Borabu and escorted to Nairobi at Kamukunji police station.”
Police later linked Ojwang, a resident of Leader Centre in Homa Bay, to the case and planned his arrest.
On June 7 at around 8 a.m., a team of officers—Sergeant Sigei, Sergeant Wesley Kipkorir Kirui, PC Dennis Kinyoni, PC Newton Mwanze, and PC Boniface Radubo—went to Centre Village, Homa Bay.
“A team comprising Sergeant Sigei, Sergeant Wesley Kipkorir Kirui, PC Dennis Kinyoni, PC Newton Mwanze, and PC Boniface Radubo went to Centre Village in Homa Bay to arrest Albert Omondi at around 3:30 pm and took him to Mawego Police Station and later into custody via OB107/6/2025 at around 3:55 pm. The deceased was later transported to Nairobi,” Wanjiku said.
IPOA confirmed he was taken to Nairobi at about 8:35 pm., the same day.
