Interdicted officer commanding Nairobi's Central Police Station, Samson Talaam, has broken his silence after his arrest on Friday, June 13.
Talaam was arrested in Eldoret and transported to Nairobi, where he was detained at the Langata Police Station.
His arrest was in connection with the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang.
Through his lawyer, Danstan Omari, the officer conveyed his message of condolence to the blogger's family, saying he shared in their difficult moment.
"The OCS, Mr Talaam, sends condolences to the family of the bereaved. He is a father, a husband, and a citizen, and he understands the loss of life. Also, we, as his lawyers, equally send our condolences to the family of the late Ojwang, and we seek that justice be done. That is the message from the OCS that he will want justice to be done on whether he is responsible for the death," Omari said.
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Meanwhile, through his lawyer, Talaam maintained he was innocent.
According to his account, he was not at the station when Ojwang was brought in following his arrest in Homa Bay.
He said he had left the station under his deputy as he embarked on his personal matters.
Through Omari, Talaam said the station was under the command of his junior and that he was only called later when Ojwang had been brought in.
"On the day the late Ojwang got his death, Mr. Talaam was not on duty. He had handed over the station to his deputy under the chain of command, as provided for by the police service's standing orders. He handed over all the instruments of his office. He handed over the pocket phone for communication to his deputy. He left for his personal interests," Omari said.
He was called later by a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer who wanted his authorisation to have Ojwang booked at the station.
Talaam informed the DCI officer that he was not at the station and that the matter was supposed to be handled by his deputy.
Moments later, the OCS would be called by his deputy, prompting his return to the station, where he found Ojwang unconscious, ordering that he be rushed to the hospital.
Ojwang was taken to hospital, where he was confirmed dead on arrival.
With the tragic events at the station, DCI boss Mohamed Amin said Talaam ought to be treated as a person of interest in the murder.
Omari said they would be collecting footage and phone data to prove that the OCS was not anywhere near the station when Ojwang was brought in and killed.
