Opposition leaders call for arrest of DIG Lagat within 24 hours
Leaders of the coalition of opposition parties have called for the arrest and arraignment in court of the Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat in connection with the brutal murder of Albert Ojwang’ while in police custody.
In a joint statement in Nairobi on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the leaders demanded that Lagat be arrested, noting that he was the complainant in the case which led to the death of Ojwang’.
“The postmortem of Albert is clear, and all Kenyans have formed the opinion that he was murdered. In light of the foregoing, we are calling not just for the resignation but for the arrest and the arraignment in court of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat within 24 hours of the issuance of this statement,” Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi stated.
Calls to step down
The calls come just hours after Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot and several senators called for the resignation of Lagat, observing that he cannot continue to hold office when he was under investigation.
“When you are the deputy of an institution, and you make a complaint, which is the right thing to do, but unfortunately, the situation gets complicated by the fact that officers who report to him, went and picked this young man and that man died under very mysterious circumstances, it would have been neater if it was up to me to advise Lagat that nobody has said you are guilty,” Cheruiyot said.
“I advise the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Lagat, who is my friend, that nobody has said that you’re guilty, but for the country to appreciate what really happened, he should step aside until investigations are concluded,” he stated.
Muturi equally called for the protection of junior officers who were interdicted following the death at the Central Police Station, noting that their lives could be in danger.
Protection of junior officers
“We similarly demand that the junior officers currently being persecuted be given witness protection with immediate effect. Their lives are in danger because they know the truth,” Muturi observed.
On Monday, June 9, 2025, the OCS for Central Police Station Samson Talaam was interdicted alongside his deputy, Samuel Nganga, Charles Muriuki, Debian Lusweti, Evaline Kanyiri and Peter Kimani, who was the supervisor of the cells during the incident.
Postmortem results on June 10, 2025, indicated that Ojwang’ died from injuries to his head, neck and limbs, which were consistent with assault.
