The National Police Service (NPS) has announced heightened vigilance to avoid the publication of false or inconsistent reports, particularly involving individuals in custody, following public outrage over the misleading account of the death of Voi-based teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang’.
Ojwang’, who died while being held at Nairobi’s Central Police Station, was initially reported by police to have fatally injured himself by hitting his head against a cell wall. However, a post-mortem report later contradicted this, revealing severe head injuries, neck compression, and multiple soft tissue trauma — indications of possible assault.
Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV on Thursday, NPS spokesperson Michael Muchiri acknowledged that the initial report was inaccurate and had since been corrected. He added that Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja issued a formal apology for the misleading information.
“We accept that the initial report published was false but we’ve since rectified it,” said Muchiri. “When the report came and we reviewed it, it’s true we saw inconsistencies. However, that was the report in raw form from the station where Ojwang’ was held.”
Muchiri emphasized that the NPS is now on high alert to prevent such incidents in future and to rebuild public trust, which has been severely shaken amid recurring allegations of police brutality.
“We’re now on high alert to avoid future publications of false or inconsistent reports,” he said. “We accept that there have been incidents that eroded public trust, but we are working to restore it.”
Regarding accountability, Muchiri reiterated that once a death in custody occurs, responsibility shifts from the police to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which is tasked with investigating such cases.
Ojwang’s death has sparked renewed calls for transparency and justice in handling cases involving suspects in police custody.
Written By Rodney Mbua
