Police Constable James Mukhwana, currently attached to Central Police Station in Nairobi, has recorded a statement with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), exposing how teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang was fatally assaulted in custody on the night of June 7, 2025.
In a signed statement recorded on June 13, 2025, Mukhwana said he was summoned around 7:30 p.m. by Deputy OCS IP Nganga and taken to the office of OCS Chief Inspector Samson Talaam, who informed him of a special assignment.
According to Mukhwana, Talaam claimed the order came from Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Eliud Lagat and involved a suspect who was to be “disciplined.”
“The OCS was seated on his seat then he called Mukhwana…. ‘Kuna kazi kutoka kwa DIG Lagat, unamjua?” he recounted in the statement.
“I replied, ‘Yes.’ He continued, ‘Kuna officers wa DCI headquarters watakuja kama saa mbili hivi watakua wamelika.
Nataka uende cell uangalie wale wamekaa remandees uwambie kuna kazi nataka wafanye.’”the OCS instructed, as captured in Mukhwana’s statement, and then handed him Ksh2,000 to coordinate the task with inmates.
Mukhwana then approached an inmate named Ngige, whom he described as a long-time remandee, and asked him to gather others willing to carry out the assault.
As recorded in IPOA’s statement submitted by Mukhwana, Ngige accepted and requested alcohol to prepare the group. Mukhwana obliged, using part of the money to buy liquor from the canteen.
Beating Turns Fatal
Later that evening, Mukhwana saw a black Subaru pull into the station. Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) brought in a handcuffed Ojwang.
After confirming with OCS Talaam that the suspect was the intended target, Mukhwana said he called PC Kimani to handle booking while he stepped aside.
“Mtu apigwe, apate majeraha, apelekwe hospitali,” Talaam instructed him, as captured in the statement.
Shortly after, Mukhwana said he heard screams from the back cells. When he rushed to check, he found Ojwang bleeding from the mouth and slumped against a wall. Alarmed, he contacted the deputy OCS, calling for immediate medical help.
“I told Kimani to inform IP Nganga. I also personally called to insist Ojwang be taken to hospital,” Mukhwana stated.
Despite the calls, the damage had been done. The next morning, Mukhwana learned Ojwang had died.
Officer in hiding
Fearing for his safety and reputation, Mukhwana avoided duty for two days as word spread about the death. When fellow officers began implicating him in the incident, he decided to return to IPOA and record a full confession.
“I came to tell the truth. I don’t want to carry this anymore,” he told investigator Justin Nyatele.
Mukhwana added that he never intended for Ojwang to die, stating the plan was only to “discipline” him as instructed. He repeatedly pointed to the chain of command, saying the directive came from his superiors.
“Na ukikataa, kuna kitu inaweza kukufanyikia,” he recalled the OCS warning him, implying that disobedience would have serious consequences.
Critical evidence
Mukhwana’s statement is now among the most damning evidence in IPOA’s case as they pursue justice for Ojwang. He remains in custody at Capitol Hill Police Station, awaiting the court’s decision on June 20, 2025.
“Ni amri kutoka kwa mkubwa,” Mukhwana insisted, directly implicating DIG Lagat in what is shaping up to be one of the most disturbing cases of police brutality in recent years.
