Latest news with #Lagat
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police fire tear gas on crowds protesting Kenya blogger's death in custody
Protesters took to the streets of Kenya's capital Nairobi to express their fury over the death of a blogger arrested by police last week, as the country's police watchdog reported that 20 people had died in custody over the last four months. Police used tear gas to disperse crowds gathered close to the capital's parliamentary building on Thursday to protest against the death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old blogger arrested in the western town of Homa Bay last week for criticising the country's deputy police chief Eliud Lagat. Police had initially said Ojwang died 'after hitting his head against a cell wall', but pathologist Bernard Midia, part of a team that conducted an autopsy, said the wounds – including a head injury, neck compression and soft tissue damage – pointed to assault as the cause of death. On Wednesday, President William Ruto admitted Ojwang had died 'at the hands of the police', reversing earlier official accounts of his death, saying in a statement that it was 'heartbreaking and unacceptable'. Kenyan media outlets reported on Thursday that a police constable had been arrested over Ojwang's from the protests in Nairobi, Al Jazeera's Malcolm Webb said that Ojwang, who wrote about political and social issues, had posted online about Lagat's alleged role in a 'bribery scandal', in which the deputy police chief had already been implicated by a newspaper investigation. 'It's angered people that he was detained for that, and then days later, dead in a police station,' said Webb, who added that people were calling for Lagat to be held to account, and 'persisting in throwing stones at the police in spite of one volley of tear gas after the next being fired at them'. The case has shone a light on the country's security services, who have been accused of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances for years. On Thursday, Independent Policing Oversight Authority chairperson Issak Hassan told lawmakers that there had been '20 deaths in police custody in the last four months'. The authorities are now conducting an official investigation into Ojwang's death. On Wednesday, Inspector General Douglas Kanja apologised for police having previously implied that Ojwang died by suicide, telling a Senate hearing: 'He did not hit his head against the wall.'Ojwang's death comes almost a year after several activists and protesters were killed and taken by police during finance bill protests – many are still missing. The rallies led to calls for the removal of Ruto, who was criticised for the crackdown. Amnesty International said Ojwang's death in custody on Saturday 'must be urgently, thoroughly and independently investigated'.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Vehicles ablaze in Nairobi as Kenya protests escalate
Riot police officers walk past burning vehicles during a demonstration against the death of a blogger in police custody last week, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya NAIROBI (Reuters) - Protests in the Kenyan capital Nairobi intensified on Thursday, with vehicles set ablaze and police firing teargas to disperse crowds angered by the death in custody of a political blogger last week, Reuters TV footage showed. The death of 31-year-old Albert Ojwang, who blogged on political and social issues, is the latest case to throw a spotlight on the country's security services, who have been accused of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances for years. Police used teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in the capital, with at least two vehicles set on fire, Reuters TV footage showed, a day after President William Ruto said Ojwang had died "at the hands of the police", reversing earlier official accounts of his death. Police had initially said Ojwang was arrested in western Kenya on Friday for allegedly defaming the country's deputy police chief Eliud Lagat online and died "after hitting his head against a cell wall". The Independent Policing Oversight Authority watchdog has launched an investigation, while the European Union and the United States have called for a transparent probe into the blogger's death. Protesters demanded Lagat's resignation on Thursday, with some carrying Kenyan flags and chanting "Lagat must go". The blogger's wounds, including a head injury, neck compression and soft tissue damage, pointed to assault as the cause of death, according to pathologist Bernard Midia, who was part of a team that conducted an autopsy. On Wednesday, Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja apologised for the police having previously implied that Ojwang died by suicide. "Based on the report by IPOA ... it is not true... He did not hit his head against the wall," Kanja told a Senate hearing. (Reporting by Jefferson Kahinju and Nelson Aruya; Writing by Ammu Kannampilly; Editing by Bate Felix and Hugh Lawson)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- 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
2 days ago
- Politics
- 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.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- 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.'
