IG Kanja Reveals Details of Ojwang’s Tweets On DIG Lagat Linking Him To Corruption

Inspector General Douglas Kanja testifies before Senate on social media posts that led to blogger’s fatal arrest

NAIROBI – Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on Wednesday revealed explosive details about the social media posts that led to the arrest of teacher-blogger Albert Ojwang, whose subsequent death in police custody has sparked national outrage and calls for accountability.

Appearing before the Senate alongside Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Kanja disclosed that Ojwang had published posts on X (formerly Twitter) accusing Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat of corruption and irregular deployments within the National Police Service.

The Controversial Posts

According to Kanja’s testimony, Ojwang’s posts made serious allegations against the Deputy IG, claiming that Lagat had “strategically placed his most trusted officers in charge of DCI desks, occurrence books, and traffic shifts to control revenue streams and intelligence flow.”

The posts, shared through an X account with 13,400 followers, went further to link Lagat to suspected corruption involving high-value property acquisitions.

One post specifically depicted Lagat alongside Nairobi Area Commander Joseph Chirchir under the caption “EACC investigating top cop after purchase of Ksh335.9 million home in Dubai,” accompanied by Lagat’s photograph and the phrase “Eliud Lagat Mafia police.”

“These claims were found to be defamatory and unsubstantiated and of significant public concern, thereby necessitating immediate investigations under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act of 2018,” Kanja told the senators.

The IG revealed that Deputy Inspector General Lagat filed a formal complaint after the posts were published, prompting the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to assign cybercrime officers to investigate the matter.

The investigation team comprised Corporal Abdul Hamman Hussein, Police Constable Dennis Kanyoni, Samuel Kamau, and Milton Mwanzi.

In a bid to verify the corruption allegations, investigating officers wrote to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to confirm whether any investigations were underway against Lagat.

After EACC confirmed that the Deputy IG was not under investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Ojwang.

The Communications Authority of Kenya was also contacted to provide registration details and preserve posts associated with the X accounts in question, which were confirmed to be linked to the suspects.

Ojwang was subsequently arrested and detained at Central Police Station in Nairobi, where he died in custody.

Initial police reports claimed he had injured himself by hitting his head against a wall, but an autopsy conducted on Tuesday contradicted this narrative.

Pathologist Bernard Midia revealed that Ojwang had suffered multiple injuries across his body, including spaced bleeding on his scalp, face, sides of the head, and back of the head, as well as injuries to his upper limbs and trunk.

The pattern of injuries was inconsistent with self-inflicted harm.

“When we tie up together with other injuries that are well spread on parts of the body… Then this is unlikely to be a self-inflicted injury,” Midia explained.

The case has drawn intense scrutiny from lawmakers and the public, with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) revealing that CCTV cameras at Central Police Station had been interfered with. IPOA has also ruled out suicide as the cause of Ojwang’s death.

Migori Senator Eddy Oketch pressed Kanja during the session, questioning the initial claim that Ojwang had hit his head on a wall.

“The IG informed the nation that Ojwang hit his head on a wall. The country needs to know where he got that information. And now that the autopsy has contradicted that claim, what has the CS done?”

The National Assembly has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding answers about Ojwang’s death, while Kenyans have united in grief, making M-Pesa donations to support the deceased’s father and demanding justice.

The case has raised serious questions about police accountability and the use of cybercrime laws to silence critics.

Ojwang’s death has become a rallying point for those calling for police reforms and justice for victims of extrajudicial killings.

Interior CS Murkomen has promised that there will be no cover-up in the investigation, stating that “justice will be served” for Ojwang’s family.

However, public trust in the police remains shaken as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the blogger’s death.