Give me answers on why my only son died, Ojwang's father tells DIG Lagat

Meshack Opiyo, the father of Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody, now wants Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat to give answers surrounding his son's death.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Nairobi Funeral Home, Opiyo said when his son was picked in Homa Bay, the officers who arrested him said they had been sent by Lagat.

“I handed him over to you through the people that you sent to arrest him,” he said. “I need you to tell me why you killed my son, what sin did he commit to warrant death?”

Opiyo wondered why Ojwang was handpicked to carry the cross and be crucified for speaking about corruption in the country yet many people have spoken against the vice. “I educated him and retired so that he could take care of me. Today you’ve broken my hand,” he added.

He fingered the police for lying about his son’s death, asking how he sustained injuries on his arms and knees by hitting his head.

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“Please, President William Ruto, help me as a Kenyan who pays taxes and do justice to us,” he said after five pathologists conducted a postmortem.

The results showed the 31-year-old teacher was tortured and beaten to death. The deceased was taken to Central Police Station at around 9pm on Sunday but he was booked at around 1am, begging the question what happened in between. An occurrence book entry at the Nairobi Funeral Home showed his body was booked at 2.44am. 

Homa Bay Woman Rep Joyce Atieno faced the wrath of protestors after she was denied a chance to address the media and kicked out of the funeral home.

Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo called for accountability from the police while calling on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to conduct a free and fair investigation. “We want action, we do not want to see you making merry with the National Police Service,” she said.

She said the post-mortem confirmed what they already knew, that Ojwang was tortured and killed in police custody.

“Inasmuch as police IG has since released the people who had been interdicted, we want to know who picked him up from Homa Bay because we do not know of the torture on the way,” said Odhiambo.

She added that no one had been allowed to see Ojwang until his father was informed of his death. “Who gave the orders for him to be picked up, let every person in the trail be held culpable for this heinous murder,” she said.

LSK plans to file a compensation claim against the government and push for the prosecution of Ojwang’s killers.

She urged Kenyans not to relent on calling for justice for  Ojwang’s family while calling for peace but cautioned that peace and justice come hand in hand.

Activists also called for the resignation of Lagat, saying he had blood on his hands. Vocal Africa’s Hussein Khalid called on all senior police officers implicated in the killing to step aside so as not to interfere with investigations.

“All these individual officers who were involved, we want them immediately interdicted,” said Khalid.