The Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Nairobi Central Police Station, Samson Talaam, and constables James Mukhwana and Peter Kimani have pleaded not guilty to murdering teacher-turned-blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang in a police cell earlier this month.
At Kibera High Court on Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors told Justice Diana-Khurum that the three officers “jointly and with malice aforethought” assaulted Ojwang between the night of June 7 and the early hours of June 8, causing fatal injuries.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) asked the court to deny bail, arguing the accused have the rank, weapons access and insider know-how to tamper with evidence or intimidate witnesses if released.
What the state says happened
Investigators say Ojwang, 31, was booked at Central Police after Deputy Inspector-General Eliud Lagat filed a defamation complaint over “malicious social-media posts.” Police first blamed suicide, but an autopsy found blunt-force trauma consistent with a beating, forcing officials to admit foul play.
Ojwang’s death has become a lightning-rod for a public already furious over police brutality. Protesters have flooded streets in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, chanting “No more orders from above!” – a jab at claims one constable was instructed to “rough him up.”
Civil-society groups fear the prosecution is scapegoating lower-level officers while shielding senior brass; Lagat remains on leave but uncharged.
Justice Diana-Khurum will rule on the bail application later this week. If bail is denied, Talaam and his co-accused will remain at Industrial Area Remand ahead of a pre-trial status conference slated for July 15.
