Just hours after he was arrested for criticizing police conduct online, 27-year-old blogger Albert Ojwang was dead. The police say he died from self-inflicted injuries in his cell. His family says that’s a lie.
Now, Ojwang’s death has become the latest flashpoint in Kenya’s long, bloody standoff between state security forces and dissenting voices.
The official explanation—that Ojwang fatally injured himself by banging his head against a wall—is being widely questioned. His autopsy, postponed once already, is now expected on Tuesday. His father, camped outside the morgue, is joined by activists and journalists demanding answers.
“Why are we being told he hit his head against the wall? His body showed numerous injuries—to his head, hands, and shoulders,” said Julius Juma, the family’s lawyer.
On June 9, just a day after his death, protests erupted outside the Central Police Station in Nairobi, where Ojwang died. Riot police responded with tear gas and, reportedly, live bullets.
“We say: ‘enough is enough.’ We have lost too many lives at the hands of the police,” said Hussein Khalid, of human rights group Vocal Africa.
Officers on duty that night have been suspended. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched a probe, but public confidence is low.
Ojwang’s death is not an isolated incident—it echoes a deep and deadly trend. It comes nearly a year after police allegedly killed and abducted anti-tax protesters in 2024. Then, as now, those speaking out were mostly poor, jobless youth who used social media to amplify their frustration.
“We have freedom that is half-baked. This country belongs to the rich,” said Ndungi Githuku of the People’s Liberation Party.
“It’s better to shout and die than to keep quiet and be gotten from our homes.”
Monday’s protest spiraled into chaos. Demonstrators attempting to march to Parliament were stopped. Police fired tear gas repeatedly. Protesters regrouped and chanted Ojwang’s name at city junctions, while businesses shut down in fear.
Ironically, this all happened just as Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi prepared to walk to Parliament to present the national budget—under heavy guard.
Calls for accountability are growing louder. Protesters are now demanding the resignation and arrest of Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, and insist that the full IPOA report be made public.
The circumstances of Ojwang’s death—detained for speech, killed in custody, conflicting autopsy delays, and a police crackdown on mourners—have turned him into a symbol of resistance and repression.
If the autopsy confirms foul play, the pressure on the Ruto government to deliver justice may escalate into yet another national crisis—especially with the anniversary of the deadly 2024 protests just days away.
For many Kenyans, the question is no longer whether Albert Ojwang was silenced—but who’s next.