Siaya County Senator Oburu Odinga has raised concerns over the continued silence and inaction surrounding a senior police officer who was mentioned in the controversial death of Albert Ojwang.

Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, Oburu questioned why the senior police boss has not been apprehended or interrogated despite what he sees as clear involvement in the matter.

According to the Siaya Senator, the death of Ojwang was not the work of “junior police officers or what he terms as small boys,” but rather “it was executed by the big boys,” referring to senior police officials.

He further questioned the legitimacy of the accusation against Ojwang that led to his arrest. A senior police officer had accused the deceased of false publication—an offence Oburu dismissed as not warranting arrest.

He challenged the reasoning behind the arrest, asking, “How could a senior police officer arrest someone just because he was making him infamous?” He went on to wonder, “What did the police officer want to do with fame?” emphasising that such reasoning should not justify putting someone in a cell.

Oburu further pointed out that there have been “incidents where Kenyans have been publishing information about the president, but nothing has happened to them,” adding, “Is he bigger than the president?”

“Mr. Speaker, I have seen incidents where people are putting the president in a cell, and they are never arrested. Is this police officer bigger than the president? Why can’t he be arrested and interrogated? If we don’t tackle this case to the end, Kenyans won’t believe us,” Oburu said.

He insisted that the matter must be dealt with conclusively, warning that failure to do so would erode public trust in leadership.

Ojwang’s death

Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old Kenyan teacher and social media influencer from Homa Bay, died under suspicious circumstances in police custody at Nairobi’s Central Police Station on June 8, 2025.

He was arrested on June 6 by DCI officers in Homa Bay following a defamation complaint by Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat over social media posts. After being transferred to Nairobi, he was interrogated and booked on June 7.

Police claim he was found unconscious during a routine cell check, stating that he had hit his head against a wall. However, the family’s lawyer reported injuries consistent with torture, including head wounds and bleeding from the nose.

The incident has sparked nationwide outrage, with protests erupting at Nairobi’s City Mortuary on June 9, demanding justice and the resignation of Eliud Lagat.

Former Chief Justice David Maraga and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemned the death, calling it part of a growing pattern of state repression.

Inspector General Douglas Kanja interdicted the officers who were on duty, including the Officer Commanding Station (OCS). However, the LSK criticised the lack of transparency, particularly the failure to publicly name the implicated officers.