Kenyans are expecting large demonstrations next Wednesday, June 25, in response to accusations that police killed a popular blogger earlier this month. The date marks one year after government forces killed at least eight people who were protesting tax increases.
A police officer in Nairobi, Kenya, shot a bystander Tuesday during ongoing demonstrations. A blogger, Albert Ojwang, died in police custody a week earlier. Ojwang’s killing reignited long-standing accusations of extrajudicial killings by security forces, many of whom have never been punished. Two police officers involved in Tuesday’s shooting have been indicted and will be arraigned in court soon. The bystander survived and is now in stable condition.
The Kenya Coalition of Church Alliances and Ministries (KCCAM) is convening for a national day of prayer on Sunday for Kenya’s concerning increase in police-brutality cases, the latest involving Ojwang’s death. Church leaders asked the police to allow peaceful demonstrations to proceed without interference.
KCCAM urged the president to have security agencies protect Kenyans: “We note your statement on Ojwang’s killing and ask you to assure the nation of swift and just accountability and instil visible measures to reform the security sector in line with the values enshrined in our Constitution.”
Public tension has been building since June 7, when detectives arrested 31-year-old Ojwang, a secondary school teacher and blogger who had made derogatory comments about Eliud Lagat, second in command in the National Police Service (NPS). Ojwang’s arrest came as part of an investigation initiated after Lagat filed a complaint. The NPS transported Ojwang over 220 miles (350 kilometers) from his home in western Kenya and booked him in Nairobi’s Central Police Station that night. The following morning, he was dead.
The NPS initially issued a statement claiming he had died from hitting his head on a wall while in police custody. An investigation by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority ruled out the possibility of death from self-harm. An autopsy report by five pathologists concluded that Ojwang had died from head injury, neck compression, and other injuries. Someone had interfered with the footage from police-station cameras.
In a statement, police said Ojwang was found in his cell and rushed to Mbagathi District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Doctors at the hospital refuted that statement, saying Ojwang arrived at the hospital already dead.
Kenyans called for the resignation of NPS’s Lagat, who had complained about Ojwang’s blogging. Lagat has now stepped aside. The head of the police station, an officer on duty that night, and a camera technician have now been arrested in connection with Ojwang’s death. The technician admitted to accepting 3,000 Kenyan shillings (about $23) to delete and alter footage from the night of Ojwang’s death. Three detainees who allegedly assaulted Ojwang in a deal to get released have also been arrested. Twenty-three people, including 17 police officers, have been interrogated in connection with the case.
Kenyan president William Ruto condemned the death. Kenyans are remembering the deaths of 58 citizens who reportedly died last summer at the hands of security forces amid protests against proposed tax increases. Some see Ruto’s government as repressive, brutal, and responsible for “disappearing” opponents.
The Missing Voices report released in May this year by the International Commission of Jurists cites “159 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in 2024.” Ruto has promised to stop extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies. Activists and rights groups have criticized him for failing to stop the killings and have accused him of abetting police overreach.
The Kenya Christian Professionals Forum supported the police inspector general’s directive to indict officers linked to the death of Ojwang, and condemned the use of violence by police and other security agencies: “We strongly … urge the government to facilitate and enable the truth to come to light.”
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