IPOA says CCTV at OCS’s office was tampered with as probe on Ojwang’s death deepens
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has revealed that CCTV systems at the Central Police Station’s OCS office had been interfered with as investigations into the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody continue.
The bombshell was dropped by IPOA vice chairperson Ann Wanjiku during her presentation before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
The sitting had been convened specifically to discuss the circumstances surrounding the death of Ojwang, who died under what has been described as highly questionable conditions.
Wanjiku told the House that IPOA’s key preliminary findings point to direct interference with CCTV equipment situated at the heart of the police station’s operations.
“The key findings are as follows: one, that the CCTV systems located at the OCS office had been interfered with. Two, the post-mortem conducted on 10 June 2025 revealed the cause of death as a head injury inflicted by a blunt object, alongside bruises all over the body. These rule out the theory of suicide,” she said.
She further disclosed that IPOA had already taken significant investigative steps in their pursuit of justice and accountability.
“We have achieved the following: the scene was visited and documented to establish the sequence of events and identify any indicators of misconduct,” she told the Senate.
She noted that blood samples had been collected from the scene and a blood splatter analysis had been conducted.
Additionally, IPOA confirmed it had secured all relevant police documents from Central Police Station.
“We have achieved the following,” she said.
“The scene was visited and documented to establish the sequence of events and identify any indicators of misconduct. Blood samples were collected from the scene, and blood splatter analysis was also done. All relevant police documents were collected from Central Police Station.”
Despite these milestones, several critical tasks remain.
Wanjiku outlined the pending actions, stating that IPOA has yet to forward the collected forensic samples from the crime scene for full analysis.
Furthermore, she said, there is a need to record statements from potential witnesses and family members of the deceased.
She added that IPOA is also preparing to record official statements from officers stationed at Central Police Station and to collect medical documentation, including official feedback and records from Mbagathi Hospital, where Ojwang was reportedly taken after sustaining injuries.
“The following are the pending tasks. To forward the collected samples from the crime scene for analysis; to record statements from other potential witnesses and family members; to record statements of officers from Central Police Station; and to collect medical documents — that is, feedback from Mbagathi Hospital.”
