Police officers from the Central Police Station in Nairobi have given statements to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) about the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while he was in their custody.
The officers say that Ojwang was already very ill when he was brought to the police station.
They claim they tried to save him when they noticed he was not well, and they seem to blame other officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for what happened to him.
Samson Taalam, the Officer Commanding the Central Police Station, has denied being involved in any torture or in Ojwang’s death.
Taalam, who spoke to IPOA on Wednesday, said he was called after Ojwang was already in custody. He said that when he arrived, Ojwang was in bad health, so he took him to the hospital.
People are still asking questions about how Ojwang was treated when he arrived at the station and what happened after. IPOA will send their findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to decide if any charges should be made against the officers involved.
OCS Taalam, through his lawyer Felix Keaton, has said he is willing to cooperate fully with IPOA to help ensure justice is served.
At the same time, there is increasing focus on five DCI officers who took Ojwang from his home to Nairobi shortly before he died.
DCI boss Amin Mohammed has said that OCS Taalam should be considered the main suspect in the investigation into Ojwang’s death. During a Senate meeting asking about Ojwang’s killing, Amin expressed strong concerns about Taalam’s actions.
He mentioned that investigations showed OCS Taalam refused to book Ojwang when he was brought in, which raises serious questions about what he did.
Amin stated, “Taalam is the Officer Commanding Central Police Station, and based on everything that has happened, he should be treated as the main suspect in this case.”
