HOMA BAY, Kenya – Tensions boiled over on July 3, 2025, as enraged youths from Homa Bay stormed and set ablaze sections of Mawego Police Station while carrying the body of the late Albert Ojwang — a teacher who died under controversial circumstances after being detained by police.
The emotional protest unfolded dramatically as mourners, mostly youth, carried Ojwang’s coffin through the streets in a symbolic march that turned volatile. The crowd, which had just received the body from Nairobi, broke into dirges and chants, hoisting the casket high as they approached the police station where Ojwang was initially booked following his arrest on June 7.
FROM GRIEF TO RAGE: STATION TORCHED
Once outside Mawego Police Station — the first stop in Ojwang’s custody before being moved to Nairobi’s Central Police Station — the mood shifted. What began as a symbolic spiritual ritual to “cleanse” the area turned into a fiery confrontation. Parts of the police facility were torched, sending thick plumes of smoke into the Homa Bay sky.
Eyewitnesses said the action was fueled by a mix of grief and fury over what they believe to be a gross abuse of justice and a life cut short with no clear explanation.
A SON TAKEN TOO SOON
Albert Ojwang, a soft-spoken teacher, was mourned in Nairobi on July 2 at Ridgeways Baptist Church. Emotional tributes painted him as a humble, peace-loving man who had no brush with the law before his fateful arrest.
His mother, Eucabeth Ojwang, tearfully recounted her final memory of him:
“I had just served him lunch. Before he could even take a bite of ugali, the police arrived. He was shaking. When I asked what was wrong, he told me he had done nothing.”
QUESTIONS SURROUNDING HIS DETENTION AND DEATH
Ojwang’s transfer from Homa Bay to Nairobi raised legal and ethical questions, particularly regarding whether due process was followed. Appearing before the Senate on June 11, DCI Director Mohamed Amin was pressed by Senator Boni Khalwale to present a court order authorizing the transfer.
In response, Amin stated:
“We do not require a court order to move a suspect between police jurisdictions. Ojwang was booked out of Mawego at 1600hrs and into Central Police Station at 2132hrs.”
But the explanation did little to calm growing public outrage.
HIGH-PROFILE RESIGNATIONS FOLLOW PUBLIC OUTCRY
The mounting pressure over Ojwang’s suspicious death triggered a wave of accountability demands. In a rare move, Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat voluntarily stepped aside amid nationwide calls for his resignation.
The incident has since become a flashpoint for broader concerns about police brutality, extrajudicial detentions, and lack of transparency within law enforcement agencies.
THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE CONTINUES
As Ojwang’s body journeys toward its final resting place, the quest for justice intensifies. Civil society groups, lawmakers, and citizens alike are demanding a thorough investigation, while warning that public trust in the criminal justice system is at stake.
Mawego Police Station, now partially damaged, stands as a stark symbol of the growing discontent over state accountability and the cost of unaddressed police misconduct.
