Nairobi Central Police Station Commander Samson Talaam has been arrested, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has confirmed.
Commissioner Boniface Samati said Mr Talaam, a civilian he did not name and police constable James Mukhwana had been arrested in connection with the murder of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody.
Mr Talaam had on Wednesday been identified by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohamed Amin, as a “prime suspect” based on what he said was the totality of the events leading up to the teacher’s death.
“From the look of things, the Central Police Station Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Mr Talaam, should be treated as a prime suspect in the matter,” Mr Amin told the Senate on Wednesday.
Mr Samati told journalists on Friday that IPOA had visited and documented the scene, preserved key evidence, established the sequence of events, as well as identified any indicators of criminal misconduct.
“Blood samples were collected from the scene and analysis done between the blood that was on the wall vis-à-vis the blood on the floor of the cell,” Mr Samati said.
At the same time, he said, statements from all the five DCI arresting officers had been recorded, and that the accounts of other relevant officers at the Central Police Station had also been detailed.
“We also confirm the arrest of two police officers including Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Mr Samson Talaam and a civilian,” Mr Samati said.
Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) Commissioners Boniface Samati(left) and Jackline Mwenesi briefing journalists at their offices in Nairobi on June 13, 2025, concerning their investigations into the death of a blogger and a teacher, Albert Ojwang.
Photo credit: Evans Habil| Nation Media Group
Ojwang was arrested at his Homa Bay home and driven to Nairobi following a complaint by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Kenya Police Service, Mr Eliud Lagat, who alleged that he suffered continuous false and malicious publications on a social media account linked to the suspect.
