Albert Ojwang Hadn't Even Started Eating: Mother Recalls Last Moments

Eucabeth Adhiambo Ojwang, the mother of the late Albert Ojwang, has shared the final moments she spent with her son before he was arrested and taken away by police officers in Homa Bay County on June 7.

Speaking at his requiem service on Wednesday, July 2, at Ridgeways Baptist Church, Eucabeth recounted how officers stormed their home just as Albert was about to eat the meal she had prepared for him.

She described how Albert began trembling when the police declared they were there to arrest him. When she asked her son why they had come for him, he insisted he had done nothing wrong.

Eucabeth lamented that the officers did not even bother to ask whether Albert had any dependents before taking him away.

“They took my Albert just when I had prepared lunch for him. He had not even taken a bite of ugali before the police took him. When they came, Albert was trembling. I asked him what was wrong; he told me he had done nothing,” she narrated.

“They could have at least asked if he had dependents before arresting him. Why did they arrest my Albert?”

Eucabeth also described her son as a kind person who had never caused trouble for anyone. Ojwang was arrested by police for allegedly publishing false information about Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat.

According to the National Police Service (NPS), DIG Lagat — who has since stepped aside — filed a formal complaint claiming the posts were defamatory. Following that, officers believed to be from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) picked up Albert and took him to the Central Police Station in Nairobi.

It was there, while in police custody, that Albert Ojwang reportedly died under suspicious circumstances on Sunday, June 8. Investigations into the alleged murder have pointed to a network of police officers and remandees at the station as key suspects.

On June 16, Police Constable James Mukwana, the first officer arrested in connection with the death, gave a detailed statement that implicated high-ranking figures, including DIG Lagat and Central Police Station OCS Samsom Talaam.

According to Mukwana’s disturbing testimony, he was called to OCS Talaam’s office on June 7 and told that a directive from DIG Lagat ordered a suspect to be “dealt with” upon arrival around 8 p.m.

When Ojwang arrived, he was booked as a suspect and placed in the cells, where he was allegedly tortured by other detainees. That torture is believed to have caused his death. Attempts by police to rush him to Mbagathi Hospital were in vain, as he was declared dead on arrival.

His death sparked massive public outrage, with protests erupting across Kenya. The Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA) is now investigating, and the matter is also before the courts.

Meanwhile, Ojwang's widow, Nevinina Omondi, spoke of the profound pain she feels over her loss and urged authorities to uphold dignity and compassion for everyone. She said Ojwang’s death was completely unexpected, but accepted it as “God’s timing.”

“Albert left at a time when I didn't expect he would, but it was God's timing, and as humans, we can't do anything about it,” she said, adding, “It's heavy on me. It's heavy on my son. He actually doesn't know anything that is going on, but it's heavy."