Albert Ojwang and Other Kenyans Who Died in Police Custody

In a country where police stations are meant to be sanctuaries of safety and justice, some cells have instead become silent tombs.

For a growing number of Kenyans, custody has turned into death. This article highlights the heartbreaking stories of Albert Ojwang and others whose final moments were spent behind in police cells; which are spaces meant for protection, yet shadowed by controversy. 

Albert Ojwang 

Ojwang died while in police custody at Nairobi’s Central Police Station after being transferred from Homa Bay, where he was arrested over social media posts allegedly defaming Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat.

An initial statement by the police claimed he was found unconscious in his cell after hitting his head against the wall and later died at Mbagathi Hospital. 

However, this explanation was met with public outrage and skepticism, sparking protests and prompting investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA). The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, interdicted the officers who were on duty.

A postmortem revealed that Ojwang died from a head injury, neck compression, and had additional injuries suggesting assault, contradicting the initial police version.

Investigations are ongoing to establish the truth behind his controversial death.

Zipporah Mutheu's Baby

On May 29, 2024, Mutheu was arrested along with her one-and-a-half-year-old baby and taken into custody at Kambuu Police Station in Makueni County, reportedly over a debt collection matter. 

While in custody, she was allegedly assaulted by the arresting officers, with claims that some of the blows may have also struck the child. 

Mutheu was allegedly denied the opportunity to seek medical attention for her baby, who reportedly died in custody later that evening. 

IPOA launched investigations and dispatched officers to the scene to interview witnesses.

“On Friday, 31 May 2024, and pursuant to Sections 6(a) of Cap.86 of the Laws of Kenya, IPOA on its own motion launched investigations into the death of a minor at the Kambuu Police Station in Makueni County, where his mother, Zipporah Mutheu, had been detained. Upon completion of investigations and where criminal culpability is proven, IPOA will recommend prosecution,” the agency said in a statement.

As of June 2025, IPOA had not released its final report on the incident.

Martin Koome

Koome was arrested following a domestic dispute at his Baba Dogo home in Nairobi on the night of October 19, 2013. He had allegedly tried to harm his child and forced his wife out of their home, prompting neighbours to alert the police. Officers from Ruaraka Police Station apprehended him and booked him for attempted murder.

The next day, his wife went to the station to check on him but was told he had fallen ill and was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). At the hospital, she found him abandoned on a bench; severely injured, bloodied, unresponsive, and unable to move. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after.

A post-mortem revealed extensive trauma: head wounds, multiple rib fractures, brain hemorrhage, and massive bleeding, indicating he had suffered a brutal beating. Witnesses later testified that the then-station commander, Nahashon Mutua, had viciously assaulted Koome using blunt objects and allegedly forced his head into a drum of water.

Mutua tried to shift the blame onto another detainee, Kevin Odhiambo, but the attempt failed after the inmate reached out to the IPOA. A thorough investigation followed, leading to Mutua’s arrest and prosecution.

In 2019, Justice Stella Mutuku found Mutua guilty of murder. Based on IPOA’s findings and recommendations, the former OCS was sentenced to death.

Vitalis Okinda

In January 2012, 25-year-old Okinda died while in custody at Bondo Police Station after being arrested for a minor traffic offence on January 8.

Authorities stated that he fell ill while in detention and was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Following the incident, IPOA launched a probe, deploying a Rapid Response Team to gather facts surrounding the case. The agency cited legal provisions requiring all deaths or serious injuries linked to police actions to be investigated.

However, more than a decade later, the outcome of the investigation remains unclear.

Alexander Monson

Alexander Monson, a young man who died in police custody in May 2012, was the subject of a landmark ruling delivered by the High Court in Mombasa on November 15, 2021.

Arrested at Diani Police Station in Kwale County on suspicion of smoking cannabis, Monson was later transferred to Palm Beach Hospital, where he was pronounced dead hours after his detention.

Although police initially claimed he died from a drug overdose, the court rejected this version, determining that drugs were planted on him after his death to conceal evidence of torture.

Justice Erick Ogolla ruled that Monson had been assaulted outside his cell and that officers failed to provide medical attention that could have saved his life. Injuries to his arm and private parts supported the court's conclusion of a violent encounter.

This case was the first handled by IPOA after its formation. IPOA launched investigations in 2013 based on files from the former Criminal Investigations Department (CID), now Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Their findings in 2014 prompted a public inquest, and by 2018, a court ordered the prosecution of four police officers.

In a historic verdict, the High Court sentenced Sergeant Naftali Chege to 15 years (five suspended), Chief Inspector Charles Wang’ombe Munyiri to 12 years (six suspended), Constable Ishmael Baraka Bulima to nine years (five suspended), and Constable John Pamba to 12 years (six suspended).