NAIROBI — A Kenyan police constable is at the centre of a widening investigation into the death of a teacher who died in custody last week, as questions mount over possible abuse and an alleged cover-up inside one of Nairobi’s busiest police stations.
Constable James Mukhwana was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the death of Albert Ochieng Ojwang, a 32-year-old teacher and blogger, who was detained at Central Police Station in Nairobi on 7 June and died hours later under unclear circumstances.
Now, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) wants the officer held for 21 days as investigators comb through what they suspect is a case of police brutality and deliberate destruction of evidence.
“Initial findings show the deceased was assaulted while in lawful police custody,” IPOA said in court filings. “Footage from the police station is suspected to have been interfered with.”
IPOA claims Mukhwana was not acting alone. Other officers, yet to be arrested, are believed to have taken part in the alleged assault. Surveillance footage from inside the station considered vital to the case was reportedly tampered with, raising further alarm.
According to investigators, the station’s CCTV system was deliberately disabled. A technician, Kelvin Mutisya Matava, was arrested Friday morning in Nairobi’s Saika estate and reportedly confessed to being paid 3,000 shillings by the Officer Commanding Station to delete footage from the night Ojwang died.
IPOA Chair Isaac Hassan told Parliament’s Security Committee that CCTV hard drives were removed and reformatted early the next morning, at exactly 7:23 a.m., on 8 June. Digital logs reviewed by the oversight body confirm that data was erased.
“Somebody called someone to switch off a particular section,” Hassan said. “But the technician said he could only shut down the entire system.”
The incident has sparked a national outcry, with opposition parties, civil rights groups and members of the public demanding accountability. Demonstrators took to the streets in Nairobi this week, protesting what they call a pattern of extrajudicial killings and police impunity.
In its application to the court, IPOA argued that releasing Mukhwana could compromise the investigation. “There is a real risk that the suspect may interfere with the crime scene, influence witnesses, or tamper with records,” the authority stated.
Ojwang had been arrested in Homa Bay over a defamation complaint and transferred to Nairobi, where he was booked under OB number 136/7/6/2025 at 9:35 p.m., according to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja. He was dead within hours.
The government chemist and forensic analysts are now examining mobile phones and documents linked to the case. IPOA says it is also working to secure critical files still held at the Central Police Station.
So far, only two arrests have been made. But pressure is growing, and calls for systemic reform in Kenya’s policing are once again gaining traction.
As the investigation continues, the fate of Constable Mukhwana and what truly happened to Albert Ojwang remains a test of the state’s willingness to hold its own to account.
