By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Kenyan President William Ruto has condemned the death of a blogger in police custody last week, which has attracted widespread criticism barely one year after the East African country witnessed a deadly demonstration over plans to increase tax.
Albert Ojwang, 31, was arrested in western Kenya over posts on social media accusing Police Deputy Inspector-General Eliud Kipkoech Lagat of corruption.
He was transferred to the central police station in the capital, Nairobi, where he died over the weekend, with police initially saying he had hit his own head against the wall of his cell.
But a government pathologist said Tuesday the injuries were “unlikely to be self-inflicted”.
“This tragic occurrence, at the hands of police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” Ruto said on Wednesday, urging officers to cooperate fully to facilitate a “swift, transparent and credible investigation”.
Ojwang’s death sparked anger on social media and pockets of street demonstrations. It comes as the country marks the first anniversary of the protest against the tax hike in which at least 60 people were killed.
Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, addressed the Senate to say that Ojwang was arrested for sharing a fake newspaper front page, accusing the Deputy Inspector-General of corruption and calling him “The Mafia Cop”.
Interior Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the government was “committed to ensuring that everyone who was involved in the crime is brought to justice”.
