Dozens of activists marched through downtown Nairobi on Tuesday to demand justice for Albert Omondi Ojwang, a 31-year-old teacher and blogger who died after being held at the capital’s Central Police Station.
Ojwang was arrested Friday in the western town of Homa Bay over a social-media post that allegedly defamed Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat. Instead of being booked locally, he was driven more than 350 km (220 miles) to Nairobi and placed in a cell on Saturday.
Police initially said Ojwang “hit his head against a cell wall,” but the family’s lawyer reported swelling to the head, nose and ears, as well as bruises on the shoulders and hands—injuries he called inconsistent with a single fall.
Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority has opened an inquiry, and Inspector General Japhet Kanja said senior officers from the station have been interdicted, limiting their duties and pay pending the probe.
Protesters chanting “Stop killing us” gathered outside Nairobi City Mortuary, where Ojwang’s body is being held, then marched to the police station where he was detained. Amnesty International Kenya director Irungu Houghton called Ojwang’s death “very suspicious” and urged investigators to treat the station as a crime scene.
The incident comes amid growing concerns over the treatment of government critics. Last week, software developer Rose Njeri was charged under cybercrime laws after creating an online tool opposing a controversial finance bill—an allegation she denies.
