Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called for the suspension of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat following the passing away of Albert Ojwang at the Central Police Station in Nairobi on Sunday, June 8.
In a statement on his official X account on Monday, June 9, the former DP claimed that the Deputy IG is the one who ordered the apprehension of Ojwang on Saturday, June 7.
Gachagua further alleges that Lagat "personally" operates the Kamukunji Police Station and the Central Police Station, Nairobi, without the knowledge of Inspector General Douglas Kanja and claims that this was the key reason that Ojwang was apprehended in Homa Bay on Saturday, June 9, and moved to the Central Police Station in Nairobi.
According to the former DP, the suspension of the Deputy IG will be pivotal in making way for meaningful investigations into what exactly transpired. Police claim that Ojwang hit his head on the wall, causing injuries that led to his succumbing while in police custody at the Police Station.
"People are complaining that those two stations have become the new torture chambers. That is the reason Albert had to be moved from Homa Bay to Central Police Station in Nairobi," Gachagua alleges.
"The Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat is the complainant, and the one who ordered the apprehension in the alleged 'crime' that Ojwang committed was making a fair comment on his social media account on Eliud Lagat. He must take full responsibility for this," he added.
According to Gachagua, the passing away of Ojwang reflected the continued effort by the government to prevent the youths, Gen Zs, from airing their views freely, especially through social media platforms.
"To the family of Albert and the people of HomaBay County, friends of Albert and the people of Kenya, especially the GenZs, I stand with you in seeking justice for Albert," he said.
Ojwang, a well-known social media personality, reportedly succumbed under unclear circumstances while in police custody, an incident that caused widespread public concern, with Ojwang's family and Kenyans on social media, particularly X, continuing to call for justice and clarity over what happened that night.
The statement by Gachagua comes hours after the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, in a statement on Monday, June 9, interdicted the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Nairobi’s Central Police Station and all officers who were on duty during the night when popular influencer Albert Ojwang succumbed have been interdicted.
According to the NPS, disciplinary and legal action will be taken depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigations. The NPS has pledged to cooperate fully with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which has launched parallel investigations.
''To facilitate a thorough, impartial, and expeditious investigation by IPOA into the incident, the Inspector General has ordered the immediate interdiction of all officers on duty at Central Police Station during the incident,'' the NPS statement read.
