Latest news with #TheDailyNation
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.'
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.'
Herald Malaysia
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Kenyan cardinal claims he wasn't invited for conclave
Vatican says invite is automatic, but comment set off a flurry of headlines and online chatter in Kenya May 07, 2025 The then-Argentinian cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (left), who was later elected as pope, and Kenyan cardinal John Njue leave during a break in a meeting of a conclave to elect a new pope on March 4, 2013, at the Vatican. (Photo: AFP) By Ines San Martin, OSV News Of the 135 cardinals eligible to enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect the next pope, one absence has sparked confusion, controversy and no small amount of speculation, almost as if it were a plot point of the movie "Conclave." Kenyan Cardinal John Njue, 79, will not take part in the election of the 267th pope, despite technically being eligible to vote. The reason? That depends on whom you ask. In an interview published May 5 by The Daily Nation , a leading Kenyan daily, Cardinal Njue offered a surprising explanation for his absence: "Those who go there for the election are usually sent official invites, and that has not happened on my part," he said. "The fact is that I have not been invited." The comment set off a flurry of headlines and online chatter in Kenya, adding yet another twist to the story of a cardinal who has, over the years, been repeatedly declared dead on social media -- wrongly, of course. To complicate matters further, official Vatican records have quietly edited his age. For years, Cardinal Njue was listed as born in 1944, which would have made him ineligible to vote in this conclave. But the 2024 edition of the Annuario Pontificio , the Vatican's official yearbook, now records his birthday as January 1, 1946 -- just young enough to participate. That revision was first reported in Italian media in 2024. In Radiotelevisione Svizzera , Vatican journalist Paolo Rodari summed it up this way: "An absence announced. ... The Kenyan prelate, several times declared dead on social media, was last seen on April 25 at a Mass in memory of Pope Francis. But he will not be able to make the trip to Rome." A day after Cardinal Njue's remarks were published, the archdiocese issued an official statement from Archbishop Philip Anyolo, aiming to clear the air. According to the May 6 press release, Cardinal Njue was invited through the apostolic nunciature in Kenya, and the archbishop had to decline due to health reasons. "In response to various inquiries concerning whether His Eminence John Cardinal Njue, will be participating in the forthcoming conclave," Archbishop Anyolo wrote, "I hereby confirm that although His Eminence is eligible to participate and was officially invited to through the Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya," the apostolic nuncio, in concurrence with the office of the archbishop of Nairobi, "duly communicated the competent office of the Holy See that, owing to his current health condition, His Eminence John Cardinal Njue will be unable to travel to Rome and take part in the Conclave," the statement read. The statement from the archbishop makes it clear that it was he, Archbishop Anyolo, who along with the papal representative in the country, Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, declined the invitation on behalf of the cardinal. "Cardinal electors can participate 'de iure' (by law), they don't need an invitation to be present," said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office. "The dean of the college of cardinals might check if the cardinal is coming, and I believe this was the case with the cardinal from Kenya." Come May 7, 133 cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel -- all the members of the college of cardinals who are under the age of 80, minus Cardinal Njue and Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, who has himself confirmed he would not be coming to
