Photo/courtesy.
By IP Team.
HOMA BAY, Kenya.
In a dramatic and emotionally charged protest, enraged mourners carrying the body of 31-year-old teacher and influencer Albert Ojwang stormed and set ablaze Mawego Police Station on Wednesday, demanding justice over his death in police custody.
Ojwang, who was arrested on June 7 at his parents’ home in Homa Bay, died the next day while in detention at Nairobi’s Central Police Station.
His arrest and subsequent transfer remain under intense scrutiny, with his family alleging foul play and unlawful detention.
On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners, many dressed in black and chanting dirges, marched to Mawego Police Station—the first place Ojwang was booked before being transferred to Nairobi.
Eyewitnesses said mourners broke through the station’s gate, poured flammable liquids, and set fire to parts of the facility as police fled the scene.
Thick black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky as documents and equipment burned. Some protesters carried twigs, a symbolic act in Luo tradition to ward off evil spirits.
“This is not just grief, it is rage,” said Achieng Onyango, a protester. “Albert deserved justice in life, not just in death.”
Ojwang’s mother, Eucabeth Ojwang, said her son was arrested before he could even finish his lunch.
“They came for him like a criminal, but he had done nothing wrong,” she told local reporters. “Now they bring him back in a coffin.”
His father, Tom Ojwang, demanded full accountability, saying, “If he was guilty of something, they should have taken him to court—not to the grave.”
The protest came days after the Director of Public Prosecutions charged Nairobi Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam and five officers with murder. The officers are accused of fatally torturing Ojwang while in custody.
In a brief statement, President William Ruto called for calm and pledged an “open and transparent” investigation into the incident.
Police have since secured the area, but much of the station lies in ruins. Ojwang’s body was later returned to his family home in Kokwanyo village for final rites.
The incident has reignited national outrage over police brutality and impunity, just days ahead of the annual Saba Saba demonstrations.
Rights groups have condemned the incident, urging the government to undertake sweeping reforms in Kenya’s security and justice systems.
“This is not just about Albert Ojwang,” said a human rights activist at the scene. “This is about the hundreds who have died in silence. Today, silence burned.”
Ends.
