Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni has accused Kenyan security agencies of deliberately concealing the truth surrounding the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang, the 31-year-old teacher and blogger who died in police custody.
Speaking during a live radio interview on Friday, June 13, 2025, Kioni questioned why law enforcement authorities appear to stall when it comes to investigating deaths of ordinary Kenyans, yet move swiftly when high-profile individuals are involved.
Selective justice questioned
Kioni referenced the rapid investigation into the murder of a Member of Parliament last year, contrasting it with the slow and opaque response to Ojwang’s death and similar cases.
“We saw how fast the police acted when an MP died. But when it’s a young protester, or someone like Albert, suddenly there’s a delay, a blackout, excuses,” Kioni said.
He further questioned whether the police exist to serve all Kenyans or only a select group of individuals with power and connections.
Police under spotlight
Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay on June 7 and later transferred to Nairobi’s Central Police Station.
He was found dead a day later. The police claim he died from self-inflicted injuries, but an autopsy and subsequent public statements have raised serious doubts.
Kioni dismissed these official explanations, calling them an insult to public intelligence.
“This didn’t happen in a forest. It happened at Central Police Station, an urban, guarded facility with CCTV cameras. And suddenly, cameras were switched off?” he posed.
He further stated that senior officials, including those at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), know what transpired.
“The DCI knows. They have the file. They are just perfecting their art of cover-up. Even the National Assembly and Senate are aiding the smokescreen.”
Calls for accountability
Kioni said that those responsible for Ojwang’s arrest, torture, and transfer must be held individually accountable, including those who gave orders to move him from Homa Bay to Nairobi.
“Even DIG Lagat,if he issued instructions for that transfer, must be investigated. Everyone involved should be interdicted. This was not a normal arrest.”
Ojwang’s death has triggered nationwide protests and renewed focus on police accountability, with critics now warning of a deepening culture of impunity.
Officers treated as suspects
Meanwhile, IPOA Chairperson Isaack Hassan appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Security, Thursday, June 12, 2025, he assured MPs that the authority is treating everyone involved in Ojwang’s arrest, detention, and eventual death as potential suspects 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 added.
He urged full cooperation from police officers, especially those stationed at Central Police Station, and warned that obstruction would be considered interference with justice.
IPOA said the investigation is nearing conclusion, but maintained that the process must be independent and thorough.
