In the brutal killing of Albert Ojwang, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stands squarely in the eye of the storm. This is not speculation, politics or conjecture. It is fact.

Ojwang was in DCI custody for over 20 hours before he died. Those final hours are not a mystery to the DCI; they are the custodians of those fatal moments.

Yet in an astonishing display of arrogance, DCI Director Mohamed Amin has rushed to publicly shift blame, pointing fingers at Nairobi Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam while claiming the investigation is “ongoing”. How does the head of a compromised agency preemptively decide who takes the fall while his own house remains under scrutiny? How does a man presiding over an agency so deeply entangled in the case arrogate himself the role of prosecutor, judge and jury before the truth has even been allowed to breathe?

Kenyans are not blind. We have seen this script before.

When a State agency quickly singles out a fall guy while shielding its leadership, it signals one thing: A bigger fish is being protected. This rush to assign blame before investigations conclude exposes an attempt to manage public outrage, control the narrative and insulate powerful interests from accountability.

The question we must ask is simple but profound: Who is being protected, and why?

The story they want us to believe defies logic. According to Amin, while Ojwang was technically in custody of his officers for nearly an entire day, somehow responsibility for his death lies with the OCS.

Are we to believe that the DCI, which prides itself on being Kenya’s apex investigative body, lost track of its own detainee? That its officers, under its own roof, had no role in ensuring Ojwang’s safety? The public is not so gullible. This is not just a cover-up, it is an insult to our collective intelligence.

Amin must understand that public anger stems not from rushed judgement but from witnessing repeated manipulation of such investigations. We have seen suspects mysteriously disappear, witnesses silenced, investigations stalled and quietly buried once public attention fades. But this time, the nation is watching closely.

The parallels with past State-sponsored killings and cover-ups are chilling. We remember how other security officers and whistleblowers who stood on the wrong side of power were silenced. We remember accountability sacrificed to protect the powerful, death becoming a convenient tool for erasing inconvenient witnesses.

Talaam, if you have been made the fall guy, now is your moment to speak. Your silence will not save you. You are disposable to those orchestrating this cover-up. Speak while you still can, before you meet the fate that befell Ojwang.

Amin’s behaviour raises serious questions about his complicity. Why the rush to exonerate his agency? Why shield his officers from scrutiny? Why issue statements that prejudge the investigation before facts are gathered? Only two conclusions can be drawn: Either he is directly involved, or he is desperately trying to protect those who are.

The DCI cannot investigate itself in this matter. The rot runs too deep. An independent, transparent, credible inquiry must be launched, involving actors not beholden to the same machinery responsible for Ojwang’s death.

Parliament must summon Amin to publicly account for his agency’s actions. Civil society must press for full disclosure. The international community must demand accountability, as failure to act now risks emboldening those within security apparatus who believe they are untouchable.

The writer is a former National Assembly Speaker and Attorney General.