Nairobi — The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is seeknig twenty one days to detain Constable James Mukhwana over Albert Ojwang's murder in police custody to facilitate investigations.
In its application, IPOA alleges that Mukhwana, alongsidehis yet-to-be-arrested colleagues, was involved in the fatal assault of Albert Ochieng inside the cells at Central Police Station.
The oversight body further claimed that there may have been an attempt to cover up the incident, noting that critical CCTV footage at the station was tampered with in an effort to conceal evidence.
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"Initial investigations have established that the deceased was assaulted while in lawful police custody. The footage from the police station is suspected to have been interfered with," IPOA stated in its court papers.
The Authority is now requesting that Mukhwana be detained at Capitol Hill Police Station, or another secure facility, arguing that releasing him could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
"There is a real risk that the suspect may interfere with the crime scene, influence potential witnesses, or tamper with crucial police records if released at this stage," the application reads.
IPOA also emphasized the need to secure essential police documentation currently held at Central Police Station and noted that further analysis is ongoing.
The agency is awaiting results from the Government Chemist as well as forensic reports from mobile phones linked to the suspects.
Mukhwana was arrested on Wednesday, June 12, following the mysterious death of Albert Ochieng, who had been apprehended in Homa Bay and later transferred to Nairobi, where he died under unclear circumstances at the Central Police Station.
Detectives in Nairobi have arrested a technician accused of tampering with the CCTV system at Nairobi's Central Police Station one of the key crime scenes in the ongoing investigation into the death of teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody.
The technician, identified as Kelvin Mutisya Matava, was apprehended on Friday morning from his residence in Nairobi's Saika area. He is the second suspect to be arrested in connection with the case.
According to police, Matava admitted to being paid Sh3,000 by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) to delete surveillance footage captured before and after Ojwang was booked at the station on June 7, 2025.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) previously revealed that the CCTV hard drives at the Central Police Station were removed and formatted in a deliberate attempt to erase evidence.
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IPOA Chairperson Isaac Hassan told the National Assembly's Security Committee that digital video recorder (DVR) logs confirmed the hard drives were replaced and formatted on June 8 at exactly 7:23:29 and 7:23:48 a.m.
"Somebody called someone to switch off a particular section, but he said he could only shut down the entire system," Hassan said, suggesting a coordinated scheme to conceal surveillance footage crucial to the investigation.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja earlier confirmed that Ojwang was booked at the Central Police Station under OB number 136/7/6/2025 at 9:35 p.m. on June 7.
