The High Court has granted Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Nairobi Central Police Station, Samson Talaam, time to decide how to proceed with his petition seeking an inquest into the death of blogger Albert Ojwang’.
Talaam, who is linked to the controversial June 8 death of Ojwang’ while in police custody, had moved to the High Court requesting that the case proceed as an inquest rather than a criminal prosecution. He argues that a judicial inquiry would offer a more thorough and impartial examination of the events leading to Ojwang’s death, instead of what he describes as “premature conclusions.”
Appearing before the court on Wednesday, Talaam’s lawyer Danstan Omari noted that 90 percent of the prayers in the initial petition had already been overtaken by events. Omari requested the court to defer the matter to Friday, July 4, to allow time to take comprehensive instructions from his client before deciding on the next legal step.
“We shall be seeking the matter to be mentioned on Friday to take instructions from our client because most of the prayers have been overtaken by events. Once we take full instructions, we can advise on the appropriate direction,” Omari told the court.
The presiding judge agreed to the request, stating, “We just have to give Omari time to get instructions. Let’s wait until Friday.”
The case will now be mentioned on July 4 for further directions, including whether Talaam will proceed with or withdraw the petition.
Written By Rodney Mbua
