Homa Bay Woman Representative Joyce Atieno, popularly known as Bensouda, was forced to flee Nairobi’s City Mortuary on Tuesday after an irate crowd of youth and activists chased her away during the release of the autopsy report for social media influencer Albert Omondi Ojwang.
The chaotic scene unfolded moments after pathologists revealed that Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher who died in police custody on June 8, 2025, succumbed to severe head injuries, neck compression, and multiple soft tissue injuries caused by blunt force trauma, contradicting police claims of suicide.
Bensouda, who had arrived at the mortuary to console Ojwang’s grieving family and address the media, faced a hostile reception from the crowd, who accused her of politicising the tragedy and failing to vocally advocate for justice in Ojwang’s case.
Chanting “Hii si harusi!” (“This is not a wedding!”) and “Kwendeni huko!” (“Get out of here!”), the protesters shouted her down, with some alleging she arrived late for the postmortem and was attempting to gain political mileage.
Videos circulating on social media platform X captured the lawmaker being escorted away as the crowd followed, with some urging her to relay their frustrations to ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Tensions escalated when Bensouda was seen holding the hand of Ojwang’s father, Meshack Opiyo, reportedly to guide him to a better spot for a press briefing. This action further infuriated the crowd, who warned the grieving father against engaging with politicians they accused of exploiting the tragedy for personal gain.
Some protesters expressed discontent with the recent political rapprochement between ODM and President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) under the broad-based government framework, viewing Bensouda’s presence as opportunistic.
Despite the confrontation, Bensouda briefly addressed a smaller group outside the mortuary, expressing sorrow over Ojwang’s death and lamenting the absence of other leaders.
“It is painful. I came alone as the only lawmaker because I could not remain silent. Something must be done,” she said, promising to convey the crowd’s demands for justice to Odinga. She also called on President Ruto to honour his pledge to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings.
The postmortem, conducted by a team of five pathologists led by Dr. Bernard Midia, ruled out self-inflicted injuries, stating, “The cause of death is very clear: head injury, neck compression, and multiple soft tissue injuries spread across the body, pointing towards assault.”
The findings have fuelled public outrage and deepened distrust in the National Police Service (NPS), with many questioning why Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay and transferred over 350 kilometres to Nairobi for a social media post allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat.
The incident at the mortuary, which briefly disrupted traffic near the facility, reflects broader frustrations with authorities and perceived attempts to silence dissent.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is investigating, with Inspector General Douglas Kanja interdicting several officers, including the Central Police Station commander.
However, the youth and activists, chanting “Stop killing us,” demanded stronger action, including accountability from senior officials.
Albert Ojwang Murder: Homa Bay woman rep. Atieno Bensuda chased away from City Mortuary by angry youth. pic.twitter.com/pjNDtI4xVn
— Radio Citizen (@RadioCitizenFM) June 10, 2025
