Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has issued a warning to politicians intending to politicize the funeral of the late Albert Ojwang.
In a statement on Thursday, June 19, Kaluma noted that the burial is meant to honor the life of Ojwang and provide a moment for the family to grieve respectfully.
“We will send off our son Albert Ojwang soon. It will be our funeral to mourn and pay last respect to our son, not a forum for politics," he added.
Kaluma cautioned against any attempts to exploit the funeral for political mileage, further expressing gratitude to individuals who have shown genuine support to Ojwang’s family.
“Please don’t come if you played politics with the sad death of Albert. I say thank you to all those who have stood with the family during this dark time,” he further said.
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Ojwang died while in police custody at the Central Police Station in Nairobi.
He was arrested on Saturday, June 7, at around 2:30 PM at his family home in Kakoth, Homa Bay County, following a complaint lodged by Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat.
According to IPOA, Ojwang was initially taken to Mawego Police Station by a team of six officers, namely Sergeants Sigei and Wesley Kirui and Police Constables Dennis Kinyani, Milton Mwanze, and Boniface Rabudo before being transferred to Nairobi.
Upon arrival in Nairobi late in the evening, Ojwang was booked at Central Police Station and placed in a holding cell.
Later that night, duty officers reported finding him 'making noise' and then unconscious just four minutes later.
He was immediately taken to Mbagathi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The initial police report stated that he died by suicide from hitting his head against a cell wall but an independent autopsy conducted on Tuesday, June 10, revealed that Ojwang’s cause of death was not self-inflicted.
The post-mortem identified severe blunt-force trauma to the head, neck compression, and soft tissue injuries across his body.
Investigations by IPOA led to the interdiction of all officers on duty the night Ojwang died, including the Officer Commanding Station, duty officer, cell sentry, and reporting officers.
Subsequently, authorities arrested three individuals including Central Police Station OCS Samson Talam and Constable James Mukhwana.
