Tensions ran high in Kenya as protests erupted in the capital city of Nairobi and the second-largest city, Mombasa, following the death of 31-year-old blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody. The demonstrations were sparked by allegations of extrajudicial killings and police brutality, with Ojwang’s death serving as the catalyst. According to Amnesty International’s Kenya chapter, the use of militia to quell the protests would only “escalate confrontation, lawlessness and chaos” as done by the Kenyan police.
The protests turned violent when hundreds of men on motorbikes, armed with whips and clubs, attacked protesters in downtown Nairobi, injuring ten people. A policeman also shot a bystander in the head during the clashes. Ndungi Githuku, of the civil rights group Kongamano La Mapinduzi, condemned the attacks, stating that Kenya was turning into “a lawless country”. “We see hundreds of paid goons, with whips and weapons, crude weapons, coming to brutalise our people,” he said.
One of the demonstrators, Hanifa Adan, recounted her harrowing experience, saying, “They cornered us and beat us with whips and the police were just watching them do it”. The crowd in Mombasa held placards with the poignant message “Stop killing us”.
The government’s pathologist found that Ojwang’s injuries, including blunt force trauma, were “unlikely to be self-inflicted”, contradicting the initial police claim that he had died from self-inflicted head injuries. Kenyan President William Ruto admitted that Ojwang had died “at the hands of the police”, calling his death “heartbreaking and unacceptable”. He promised to “protect citizens from rogue police officers”.
A Kenyan police officer has been arrested in connection with Ojwang’s death, and two senior police officers and a civilian have also been apprehended as part of the investigation. Eliud Lagat, the deputy police chief, temporarily stepped down from his role pending the completion of the investigation.