Ruto finally speaks after coming under heavy fire from Kenyans
Barely a year ago, the president of Kenya, William Ruto, experienced firsthand the pressure of discontent from the Kenyan people, which, via a highly resonant demonstration, called for the resignation of the head of state, under the call 'Ruto must go.' Since then, the president has been no stranger to protests, and the last few days have seen him face yet another outcry.
The president of Kenya faced protests from citizens concerning the alleged killing of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody.
An autopsy contradicted the police's claims regarding Ojwang's cause of death, pointing towards assault as the likely cause.
Kenyans have expressed widespread outrage, demanding justice and accountability, pressuring the president to address the situation.
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5 hours ago
Protesters in Kenya's capital demand official answers over a blogger's death in police custody
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Protesters took to the streets of the Kenyan capital on Thursday to vent their anger over the death of a blogger in police custody. Albert Ojwang was arrested June 6 in Homa Bay in western Kenya and driven 400 kilometers (248 miles) to Nairobi for what police said was publishing 'false information' about a top police official on social media. He subsequently died at the Central Police Station after 'hitting his head against the cell wall,' police said. Amnesty International and local activists have questioned that account. The protesters occupied the road in Nairobi leading to the parliamentary building, where the national budget was due to be presented Thursday. At least two cars were set on fire in a street nearby. Police on Monday fired tear gas to disperse another protest demanding accountability for Ojwang's death. Authorities have since said an official investigation is underway. President William Ruto in a statement on Wednesday said Ojwang's death was 'heartbreaking and unacceptable." 'I strongly condemn the actions and omissions, including any negligence or outright criminality, that may have contributed to his untimely death,' Ruto said. The blogger's death comes almost a year after several activists and protesters were killed and abducted by Kenyan police during finance bill protests. The rallies led to calls for the removal of Ruto, who has been criticized for what some say is his authoritarian streak. This story corrects the day of the blogger's arrest.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kenya hit by protests sparked by blogger's death in police cell
Outrage over the death of a Kenyan blogger in police custody sparked protests in the capital Nairobi this week after doctors refuted a police claim that the activist died in his cell from a self-inflicted head injury. The protests first erupted on Monday, a day after Kenya's National Police Service said Albert Ojwang died while in custody from 'head injuries' after 'hitting his head against the cell wall.' Ojwang's death further enrages Kenya's youth, who have railed against the disappearance of dozens of anti-government critics since a protest movement forced the withdrawal of a controversial finance bill last year. Demonstrators on Thursday were confronted by police who deployed teargas in an attempt to disperse them. Ojwang, 31, was a teacher and father whose 'last known communication was a plea for bail,' according to Amnesty Kenya. Local newspaper The Daily Nation described him as an 'influencer' who was known 'for his strong online presence and social media campaigns.' Ojwang was arrested on Friday, a police statement said, 'for the offense of false publication.' On Sunday, he was 'found unconscious,' it added, 'during a routine cell inspection.' Six police officers are being investigated, police said, according to national broadcaster KBC. Further explaining the arrest, Kenya's police chief, Douglas Kanja, stated on Wednesday that his deputy, Eliud Lagat, had earlier filed a complaint alleging that Ojwang accused Lagat of corruption in a post on the social media platform X. Protesters have called for Lagat's removal. On Wednesday, government pathologist Bernard Midia contradicted the police's account of what caused Ojwang's death, saying that an autopsy 'found serious injuries to the head,' as well as 'features of neck compression' and 'multiple soft tissue injuries that were spread all over the body.' 'The cause of death is very clear,' Midia told reporters, noting that the pattern of the injuries 'are pointing towards assault' and are 'unlikely to be self-inflicted.' He said that the autopsy was carried out by a team of five pathologists. The head of Kenya's police, Kanja, on Wednesday retracted the initial claim on Ojwang's cause of death. 'I tender my apology on behalf of the National Police Service for that misinformation,' Kanja told a parliamentary committee on national security. 'It is not true… he did not hit his head against the wall,' the police chief told lawmakers, stating that the initial assertion was based on the preliminary information he received. Kenya's police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has begun an inquiry into Ojwang's death. Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday that he'd received the news of Ojwang's death 'with utter shock and dismay.' 'This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable,' Ruto said in a statement, calling for a 'swift, transparent, and credible investigation.'
CNN
6 hours ago
- CNN
Kenya hit by protests sparked by blogger's death in police cell
Outrage over the death of a Kenyan blogger in police custody sparked protests in the capital Nairobi this week after doctors refuted a police claim that the activist died in his cell from a self-inflicted head injury. The protests first erupted on Monday, a day after Kenya's National Police Service said Albert Ojwang died while in custody from 'head injuries' after 'hitting his head against the cell wall.' Ojwang's death further enrages Kenya's youth, who have railed against the disappearance of dozens of anti-government critics since a protest movement forced the withdrawal of a controversial finance bill last year. Demonstrators on Thursday were confronted by police who deployed teargas in an attempt to disperse them. Ojwang, 31, was a teacher and father whose 'last known communication was a plea for bail,' according to Amnesty Kenya. Local newspaper The Daily Nation described him as an 'influencer' who was known 'for his strong online presence and social media campaigns.' Ojwang was arrested on Friday, a police statement said, 'for the offense of false publication.' On Sunday, he was 'found unconscious,' it added, 'during a routine cell inspection.' Six police officers are being investigated, police said, according to national broadcaster KBC. Further explaining the arrest, Kenya's police chief, Douglas Kanja, stated on Wednesday that his deputy, Eliud Lagat, had earlier filed a complaint alleging that Ojwang accused Lagat of corruption in a post on the social media platform X. Protesters have called for Lagat's removal. On Wednesday, government pathologist Bernard Midia contradicted the police's account of what caused Ojwang's death, saying that an autopsy 'found serious injuries to the head,' as well as 'features of neck compression' and 'multiple soft tissue injuries that were spread all over the body.' 'The cause of death is very clear,' Midia told reporters, noting that the pattern of the injuries 'are pointing towards assault' and are 'unlikely to be self-inflicted.' He said that the autopsy was carried out by a team of five pathologists. The head of Kenya's police, Kanja, on Wednesday retracted the initial claim on Ojwang's cause of death. 'I tender my apology on behalf of the National Police Service for that misinformation,' Kanja told a parliamentary committee on national security. 'It is not true… he did not hit his head against the wall,' the police chief told lawmakers, stating that the initial assertion was based on the preliminary information he received. Kenya's police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has begun an inquiry into Ojwang's death. Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday that he'd received the news of Ojwang's death 'with utter shock and dismay.' 'This tragic occurrence, at the hands of the police, is heartbreaking and unacceptable,' Ruto said in a statement, calling for a 'swift, transparent, and credible investigation.'
