A Kenyan police officer has appeared in court after being arrested in connection with the killing of a young blogger in police custody.
Albert Ojwang’s death sparked protests in the capital, Nairobi, after doctors refuted a police claim that he had died from self-inflicted injuries caused by hitting his head on a cell wall.
Instead they concluded that it was likely the result of an assault.
At least 23 people, including 17 police officers, have been questioned and five others removed from active duty while an independent investigation takes place.
After his initial court appearance, PC James Mukhwana will remain in custody until his bail hearing an a week’s time.
Preliminary investigations allege that the constable, together with other suspects still at large, “was likely involved in the planning and execution” of Mr Ojwang’s killing, court papers submitted by detectives said.
PC Mukhwana is also alleged to have been involved in tampering with CCTV cameras at Nairobi’s Central Police Station in an attempt to cover-up the killing.
The policeman is yet to respond to the accusations but his lawyer asked the court to grant him bail saying the constable willingly submitted himself to the authorities when summoned.
Mr Ojwang, 31, died in police custody last weekend after he was arrested over a post on X that was allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat.
In an initial statement, police said Mr Ojwang was found unconscious in his cell and rushed him to a city hospital, where he succumbed to head injuries allegedly sustained from banging his head against the wall.
But an autopsy report and an investigation by the police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), ruled out the possibility that Mr Ojwang might have killed himself.
Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja has since retracted the earlier statement and apologised for what he called “misinformation” from his juniors.
Police on Friday arrested a technician who is suspected to have disabled the surveillance system in Central Police Station, effectively obscuring potential evidence on Mr Ojwang’s killing, local media reported.
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters angered by the killing took to the streets of Nairobi calling for the resignation of Deputy Inspector-General Lagat.
He is facing mounting pressure from the public, opposition leaders and civil society groups to step aside or be suspended.
President William Ruto has called for a swift investigation, and promised on Friday that his government would “protect citizens from rogue police officers”.
Ruto had pledged to end Kenya’s history of police brutality and extrajudicial deaths when he came into power in 2022.
But nearly 160 cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances were reported across Kenya last year, according to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).
At least 20 people have died while held by police in the past four months alone, according to the IPOA.
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