A growing section of Kenya's political leadership is demanding the resignation of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat following the death of blogger and Homa Bay teacher Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody under suspicious circumstances.
Ojwang was arrested on June 7, 2025, for allegedly defaming Lagat in a social media post.
He was transferred from Homa Bay to Nairobi's Central Police Station, where he died the next day.
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A government pathologist has since confirmed that he was tortured, strangled, and brutally assaulted--contradicting police claims that he fatally injured himself by hitting his head against a wall.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga led the charge in condemning the government's handling of the case. In a strongly worded statement issued on June 11, Maraga called the killing a "breaking point" for the country, accusing the regime of overseeing a spike in police violence and enforced disappearances.
"The police killings and enforced disappearances have risen exponentially under this regime," Maraga said.
"It is not normal, acceptable or defensible for enforced disappearances to rise by 450 per cent in just one year."
He declared that Ojwang's death signified the government's loss of legitimacy.
"We refuse to be a country where parents watch their children kidnapped, tortured, and killed in broad daylight. Albert's murder is the last straw," said Maraga, adding that the administration must step aside to allow for a national reset.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga also demanded answers, particularly regarding who authorised Ojwang's extrajudicial transfer to Nairobi.
He warned that such state-linked killings are rapidly eroding public trust in law enforcement and national institutions.
"Such deaths... erode the authority and credibility of the police and the state, which is a dangerous step towards chaos and collapse," said Odinga.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, which Odinga leads, has threatened to pull out of its cooperation pact with President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) unless a thorough and transparent investigation is launched.
Speaking in the Senate, ODM Deputy Leader and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said the autopsy results left no doubt that Ojwang was murdered.
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"The postmortem indicates this young man was tortured and killed through neck compression," Osotsi said.
"We need proper answers from the police and the government on who is responsible."
The escalating backlash has turned Ojwang's death into a flashpoint in the national conversation on police brutality and impunity, and a litmus test for the government's willingness to uphold justice and human rights.
Additional reports from The Star Kenya
