The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss, Mohamed Amin, has officially named Samson Taalam—the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Central Police Station—as the prime suspect in the high-profile investigation into the murder of social media influencer Albert Ojwang.
Amin made the announcement during a Senate grilling session, revealing that Taalam refused to book Ojwang when he was brought to the station, casting doubt on his conduct.
According to the police, Ojwang was arrested after DIG Eliud Lagat made a complaint about some posts which defamed him.
Investigators then requested for the account details from the Communications Authority of Kenya for two X accounts—“Pixelpioneer” and “Kelvinmwicheles”—which had accused Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat of corruption.
Those details assisted in linking the accounts to real-world users and led to the arrest of Ojwang in Homa Bay County, and other suspects in Migori county.
Amin clarified that Ojwang was first booked at Mawego Police Station in Homa Bay County on Saturday afternoon.
He was then transferred in a DCI vehicle—tracked via GPS—from Homa Bay to Nairobi’s Central Police Station, arriving around 9:32 pm that same day.
Ojwang was reported to have been given breaks during the long journey to Nairobi, including refreshments in Narok.
According to cell-camera footage, Ojwang entered Central Police Station appearing “normal”.
He was also able to contact his wife—details that call into question any theory of torture before arrival .
Despite these reassurances, serious allegations have emerged that Ojwang was tortured at a location within Nairobi’s Karura Forest before being returned to the station.
There have previously been claims that abductees during the 2024 anti-tax protests were taken to a house deep inside Karura Forest and tortured for weeks before being released. It is also alleged that this is also where Ojwang’ was taken and tortured before being returned to Central Police station.
While not explicitly tied to Ojwang, this claim adds to growing public anxiety over the handling of his arrest and detention.
It has however not been verified if this claim of torture is true with security agencies’ official statements remaining guarded.
When questioned for details, DCI boss Amin fingered the Central Police Station boss (OCS Taalam), while the Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja deferred all questions to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) who are conducting an independent investigation.
Kanja was summoned by the Senate to address questions about the postarrest timeline, police requests for data related to X‑platform defamation posts, and an earlier erroneous suggestion that Ojwang died by suicide—an assertion later rescinded.
An embarrassed Kanja apologized for the premature report about death of Ojwang by suicide and pledged disciplinary action against the officers responsible once the IPOA completes its independent review.
IPOA has since ruled the theory of suicide unsubstantiated. They have further identified five officers involved in the operation
President William Ruto has also publicly affirmed that Ojwang died “at the hands of the police,” citing postmortem findings of head trauma and neck compression consistent with assault.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen promised a transparent investigation, while President Ruto described Ojwang’s death as “heartbreaking and unacceptable”.
The Ojwang case has ignited a few protests in a few towns in Kenya, especially following revelations that his body bore signs of assault.
Meanwhile, Kenyans have goodwill have come out to support Ojwang’s father with contributions crossing the million mark as of 11th June 2025.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has further pledged to cover funeral costs for Ojwang and also clear outstanding fees for Ojwang’s young widow.
