Former Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has demanded that the police be held accountable for the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang, who died while in their custody.
Muturi, who held the same view as the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), raised concerns over what he termed as misuse of state power by some individuals out to achieve their selfish ends.
"There seems to be a decline in constitutional freedom in the country," Muturi said as questions continued to mount over the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the 31-year-old and why he had to be transported from Homa Bay, after his arrest, to Nairobi.
Ojwang was transported from Homa Bay County to Nairobi before he died at Central Police Station.
"This alarming sequence of events has fuelled fears that law enforcement is being weaponised against critics, tagging free speech as a punishable offence," said the former Attorney General in his strongly worded statement.
Muturi condemned the police's actions, particularly Deputy Inspector General Eliud Langat, who filed the complaint that led to Ojwang’s arrest. According to the former CS, this dangerous trend shows that state machinery is being used to silence dissent rather than uphold justice.
“A dead young man and a country forced to confront the rot in its criminal justice system. The question now is no longer just what happened to Albert Ojwang. It is also: Who will be next?” the former CS said.
According to Muturi, these events are enough to rally Kenyans to demand accountability from the police. Beyond Ojwang's tragic death, Muturi has challenged Kenyans to confront the erosion of freedom of speech, which has become steady recently in the country.
Citing the alleged crime the victim was accused of, the former Attorney General reminded Kenyans that defamation is not a criminal offence, citing the 2017 High Court ruling that struck down criminal defamation. Yet, police officers continue to detain individuals under vague accusations of “false publication.”
Muturi has made a clarion call to Kenyans to use Ojwang's death as a turning point to stand against the erosion of the freedom of speech and hold the police accountable for the unfortunate death.
“We must demand accountability. For Ojwang's death. For the misuse of police power. For the deliberate erosion of our right to express dissent, satire, and anger, however uncomfortable that might be for those in high office. Above all, we must demand that police officers stop behaving like political enforcers and start acting like the public servants they are sworn to be,” the former CS stated.
On their part, the KNCHR joined the fray, demanding transparency and accountability from law enforcement agencies. Commissioner Prof Marion Mutugi has called for the immediate release of a chronological account detailing Ojwang’s arrest, transfer, detention, and final hours.
